Fullmetal Magi Alphonse Magica The Rebellion Story
by jord477
Summary: Alphonse and his brother have finally been reunited, Winry and Riza are getting along wonderfully, and even Roy seems to have a new friend. The unending battle against nightmares is a even piece of cake with five magical contractors fighting side by side together as friends, and their normal lives couldn't be any happier… So why does Edward feel that something is not right?
1. Chapter 1

**WHAT'S UP EVERYONE? I'M BACK!**

 **Sorry it took a while, but here it is! The sequel you all have been waiting for! I'm so thankful for all of you waiting patiently for this and I'm really happy my last story pleased you all so much. I hope this one fills you up with as much excitement as the last one did. Thank you.**

 **(If none of you have seen the Rebellion Story yet, then… BEWARE, SPOILER ALERT!)**

 **AGAIN, I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD OR PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA!**

* * *

Nothing but infinite blackness was shown at first, but then a small bright golden light appeared. The small light shone even brighter as its source seemed to move even closer into view. The source of the light was then revealed to be Edward's open Soul Timer; the counting needle was centered straight on zero and there wasn't a single trace of black taint in the center of the watch. The glowing Soul Timer kept moving further into view even once its center was shown completely up close until another black space erupted from it.

Edward – They are the ones who pray for hope, embrace curses, and fight ever onward. They are the magical contractors. The price we paid to obtain our miracles was to take a destiny of battle upon our souls. And this destiny ended in the salvation of oblivion. By disappearing from this world, we could escape our fate of despair.

A bunch of bubbles that showed images of structures and magical contractor runes were then shown and Edward's Soul Timer appeared again, falling through the swirling bubbles as if it was sinking underwater. The Soul Timer then fell through a large stone gate that closed just as soon as the completely golden pocket-watch fell through it.

Edward – Someday, that final day will come. As we wait for the Law of the Cycle to lead us away, we continue our unending battle.

The Soul Timer continued to fall down through the infinite blackness and the swirling bubbles until the golden watch and the bubbles slowly disappeared, leaving everything in view completely black once again.

Edward – In this irredeemable world, forever repeating its tragedies and hatred, I dreamt that I encountered that familiar smile once again.

* * *

It was night and all of East City was shown. Lights were on in many of the buildings and everything appeared to look completely normal. Then a few streams of glowing colored threads were shown flying through the sky, sparkling with orange colored lights that were shaped like jacks. As the flying threads weaved around the sky, all the streetlights that were on quickly turned off and the night sky changed to one that appeared to be made out of a bunch of pieces of cloth, each with different patterns, sown together. A drop of white water then fell on a stair step and the water flowed down the stairs until it rose up onto the railing and took the form of a small white ballet dancer. A bunch of multiple shadow-like ballet dancers then appeared and started dancing on the walls of many buildings. The ballet dancers continued dancing as they lined up into two single file lines in front of what looked like a pink cardboard city. One of the patches in the sky then opened up and a strange blue doll popped out. The doll had its tongue sticking out of its mouth, bear ears on its head, arms and legs that seemed to be made out of socks, and the face of a regular doll with red hair on its chin. The strange but cute-looking doll twirled around as it landed on the ground and then took a bow. Two blue hands with colored spots on them were shown hovering over the doll and appeared to be controlling it like a puppet. The doll then jumped into the air and a bunch of teddy bears shot out of its mouth in a poof of smoke. The teddy bears ran across the sky and then crashed into and partially destroyed one of the buildings. The doll then shot a bunch of soft looking pillows out of its right arm in another poof of smoke and the pillows crashed into and partially destroyed another building. The doll hopped onto one of the many big bubbles that were floating in the air and then a bunch of shadow-like ballet dancers appeared behind it, however there was someone else in the line of ballet dancers, and that someone was none other than Alphonse in his magical contractor armor. One by one, each ballet dancer hopped onto another bubble next to the doll and did a little dance for it, but when Alphonse hopped onto the bubble he didn't dance, instead he turned around towards the doll and smiled. He then prepared his bow and shot a golden/white light arrow up into the sky. A bunch of light arrows suddenly came raining down; Alphonse quickly moved out of the way so he wouldn't get hit and the doll began to fly away as well, trying to avoid the arrows that chased after it. As it flew past a bunch of smaller buildings, it looked to its right side to see Winry in her magical contractor clothes leaping on a bunch of large bubbles after it. Winry grinned as she looked over at the doll.

Winry – Bingo, Al!

As Winry continued to chase the doll, it then looked over to its left side to see Riza in her magical contractor clothes chasing after it as well. Riza twirled her lance around and grinned at the doll as well.

Riza – Just like we planned!

Riza and Winry then closed in on the doll and began striking and slashing at it. The doll released more pillows and then flew further ahead of the two contractors, but they continued to grin. The doll then flew into an open window that led to a bunch of other doors opening one after the next until the final door led to some sort of living room with a dining table in the center. The doll sat at the table and looked down, seeing that the only food on the table was a plate of sweets and a smaller plate of candy. It then looked up to see Roy, dressed in his magical contractor clothes, standing in a small kitchen with Candeloro sitting on his right shoulder, and facing away from the doll, as he appeared to be preparing something.

 **"** **Watashi wa asa no yume wo miru"**

 **"** **I dream of the morning"**

A door behind the doll then opened up to reveal Alphonse standing with a basket of bread in his arms and a smile on his face. The doll turned around to see Alphonse take a piece of bread out of the basket and toss it towards it. The bread sailed through the air for a while before the doll caught it in its mouth and ate it.

 **"** **Mada dame yo, mada dame yo"**

 **"** **Nani iro no asa ga kuru?"**

 **"** **It's not time yet, it's not time yet"**

 **"** **What color will the morning be?"**

One door each at both of the doll's sides then opened up to reveal Winry and Riza standing at them. Winry was holding an apple pie and Riza was carrying a plate of chicken. Both contractors tossed their food to the doll just like Alphonse did and it ate their offerings as well.

 **"** **Mada dame yo, mada dame yo"**

 **"** **Mada yoru wa tabekake yo"**

 **"** **It's not time yet, it's not time yet"**

 **"** **The night is still only half-eaten"**

Roy then began to walk towards the doll while carrying a tray of tea, with Candeloro still riding on his shoulder. Winry and Riza began walking closer towards the doll as well.

 **"** **Nemutteru ko wa doko ni iru?"**

 **"** **Where is the child who slumbers?"**

Candeloro then hopped down onto the table with a cup of tea in her left ribbon hand. There was also a yellow ribbon attached to both her and Roy, however the other end of the ribbon appeared to be leading out of the room. The doll sharply rose out of its chair, knocking back the table and the sweets on it, but then everything in the room except for Roy and Candeloro seemed to freeze.

 **"** **Saa ohayou, Nightmare!"**

 **"** **Now, good morning to you, Nightmare!"**

Roy smiled as he set his tray of tea down and Candeloro brought her teacup in front of her. A yellow ball of light shot out of the teacup, and then quickly exploded, leaving behind a bunch of sparking golden lights swarming around the entire room.

 **"** **Warui oyume wa"**

 **"** **And the bad dreams"**

The doll stopped moving and a bunch of other colored sparkling lights began to rise out of its body, filling up the room along with the golden lights.

 **"** **Korekiri"**

 **"** **Will never come again"**

Roy, Riza, Winry, and Alphonse watched with big smiles on their faces as the lights surrounded the room and sparkled in each of their eyes.

* * *

Suddenly, Alphonse opened his eyes and found himself in bed, clinging to a giant stuffed animal cat. It was morning and he seemed to have just woken up. Alphonse sat up and stayed silent for a while before he sighed and put his head down on his stuffed animal cat.

Alphonse – Morning already?

Kyubey was then shown sleeping on Alphonse's bookshelf as he got out of bed and pet the white creature's head.

Alphonse – Good morning, Kyubey.

Kyubey woke up and made a few strange sounds that sounded like "kyuu." Alphonse got changed, then he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, wash his face, and comb his hair. Once he was ready, he went downstairs to the kitchen to see his mother making breakfast.

Alphonse – Good morning, Mom!

Trisha turned around to see her son.

Trisha – Good morning, Al. Breakfast is ready.

Alphonse – All right!

Alphonse happily raced over to the table and Trisha smiled as she watched her son look as cheerful as always. She brought two breakfast plates over to the table and set one in front of Alphonse. Then she sat down next to him and put the other plate in front of herself. Alphonse and Trisha looked at each other and smiled, then they put their hands together and closed their eyes.

Alphonse and Trisha – It's time to eat.

As the two ate their breakfast, they began their usual conversation.

Trisha – So what's been happening at school lately?

Alphonse – May's been having a hard time. Her parents have been away for an entire month now and they're still not back yet. Apparently, their travels keep getting extended.

Trisha – I see. I hope they won't be away for too much longer.

Alphonse – Me too.

Trisha – Overseas programs often rise dramatically around this time of year. It was certainly a problem for your father as well.

Alphonse – Really? Dad too?

Trisha – Yes. Because his company offered him quite a number of opportunities, so it was difficult to match up our schedules.

Alphonse – I see.

Trisha – How's Izumi-san doing?

Alphonse turned completely white out of extreme fright.

Alphonse – Well… she's suddenly started talking about the end of the world in class… I guess she's in a pretty bad way right now.

Trisha then looked worried and she put her hand to her head.

Trisha – Oh, dear. I'll have to have a talk with her later.

Alphonse – Sensei's scarier than any other person in the world I know, but she's also really kind in a lot of ways. And she's pretty, too. Isn't there any man in the world who would commit to her?

Trisha – Well, Izumi-san has always had overly high standards for men. For better or worse, she's just not willing to compromise on them.

Trisha then looked at Alphonse nervously.

Trisha – But, don't tell her I said that.

Alphonse giggled, then he seemed to remember something else.

Alphonse – Oh, and a new student is transferring into our class today.

Alphonse smiled at his mom and winked at her. Trisha smiled back at him, getting his message.

Trisha – That's pretty unusual at this time of year. And on the same day Van is coming home, too…

Trisha spoke with a sarcastic tone in her voice and kept smiling.

Alphonse – Yeah, I guess so. Dad and Mom have gotten back together… and our class is getting a new student. I wonder what they'll be like?

Alphonse kept smiling and spoke sarcastically as well. He then looked down at his left hand and opened his palm, revealing his Soul Timer. Kyubey was then shown sitting on one of the chairs at the table, watching Alphonse and Trisha eat as he made a few more "kyuu" sounds. Trisha then looked up at the clock and noticed the time.

Trisha – Oh, Al you better hurry or you'll be late.

Alphonse – Huh?! Right!

Alphonse ate more quickly and decided to carry his bread with jam with him once he finished the rest of his breakfast. He quickly cleared his dishes, gave his mom a quick hug, and headed out the door.

Alphonse – I'm heading out!

Trisha – Have a nice day, sweetie!

Alphonse continued to eat his bread and Kyubey quickly hopped onto his shoulder as he ran down the road to get to school.

* * *

After a while, Alphonse finally caught up with Winry and Riza, who were waiting for him. The two girls smiled and looked behind them as they saw him coming.

Alphonse – Good morning!

Riza – Good morning, Alphonse-kun. You're late today.

Winry – Nice work last night.

Riza's Soul Timer was shown sticking slightly out of her shirt pocket and Winry's Soul Timer was shown sticking slightly out of her skirt pocket. Alphonse smiled at his two friends and the three started walking down the path together to get to school.

Winry – Were you able to get some sleep afterward?

Alphonse – More or less. But I had to stay up a little longer in order to finish the reading for today. I hope I don't fall asleep in the middle of class.

Alphonse's face then turned a little purple.

Alphonse – Sensei will kill me if I do…

Riza giggled.

Riza – I'm impressed with you, Alphonse-kun. It's not easy even for Winry to complete all her homework every night like that. You truly do have a lot of dedication… Unlike a certain someone who always tries to find an excuse to slack off!

Winry – Are you talking about Mustang-san?

Riza – Yes. When I served as his first lieutenant in the military, sometimes I would have to stand by and point a gun at his head just to get him to finish his paperwork. Even now, I'm guessing he's using the nightmares as an excuse to put off grading all his students' homework.

Riza looked a bit irritated as she talked about Roy but Alphonse and Winry giggled.

Alphonse – And how are you faring, Hawkeye-san… with your job at the animal shelter and all?

Riza – It's all right. I manage to get enough sleep in order to work without having many problems. I'm used to having a job while being a magical contractor at the same time anyway.

Winry – That's Riza-san for you.

Alphonse – I guess so. Has someone adopted Black Hayate yet?

Riza – No, not yet. And what's worse… is that if I don't find him a home before the end of the year, they'll send him to the pound.

Winry – That's horrible. But why doesn't anyone want him? He's such a cute puppy.

Winry then seemed to get an idea.

Winry – Hey, Riza-san why don't you just adopt him. Black Hayate is already attached to you and you're the one who named him after all.

Riza – That's true. But, you've forgotten we're not allowed to have pets in your neighborhood, Winry.

Winry – Oh yeah…

Riza – That's why I hope your class's fund-raiser for the animal shelter will help him find an owner.

Alphonse – Oh yeah, that's why you're coming to our school today right, Hawkeye-san?

Riza – Yes. My boss asked me to be the representative for your class.

Riza then looked over at Winry.

Riza – By the way Winry, you told me your class is getting a new transfer student today?

Winry – That's right. Right, Al?

Alphonse – Yeah… I think you'll get along well with him, Hawkeye-san. You're the kind of person he normally respects.

Riza – Is that so? In that case, I look forward to meeting him.

Winry then grinned evilly at Alphonse.

Winry – But Al, I wonder what his reaction's going to be when you tell him about "That."

Alphonse looked at Winry confusedly.

Alphonse – Huh, "That?"

Winry – You know, that new thing going on between you and May…

Alphonse's face instantly turned bright red.

Alphonse – What?! No, it's not like that between me May and I…!

Winry – It's all right, Al. To be honest I'm sure he won't have anything against it… But, that doesn't mean I won't do anything about it!

Winry then started chasing after Alphonse, who ran around trying to avoid her while Kyubey kept clinging onto his shoulder.

Winry – After all, you were my best friend first, Al! I won't let another girl take you away so easily!

Alphonse began giggling as he kept running from Winry. Riza watched the two run around her like two little kids, then she coughed to get their attention. Alphonse and Winry quickly stopped what they were doing and realized that they were now standing right in front of the school.

* * *

Not too long later, the bell for homeroom rang and all the kids in the classroom flinched after they heard Izumi slam her foot down onto the floor.

Izumi – Now everyone! You'd better remember, just because the date of the apocalypse foretold by the Mayan calendar has passed, doesn't mean you should be thinking we're safe!

All the kids' faces quickly turned purple. Even Riza, who was sitting in a chair beside the right side of Izumi's desk, looked slightly nervous. Izumi didn't seem like she was in a bad mood, but her face had an evil grin on it, which scared everyone much more.

Izumi – No, this is only the beginning! A solar or lunar eclipse will fall upon every one of the six high holy day of a certain religion next year.

Izumi then smiled a very big and evil grin.

Izumi – Meaning that by 2050, our world will undergo a certain event…

Izumi then pointed her finger at Nakazawa and looked at him with her evil glare.

Izumi – Which is what, Nakazawa?!

Nakazawa – Um, well… I don't know what you're talking about.

Nakazawa stood up and answered Izumi nervously, praying that she won't kill him.

Izumi – Oh, so you don't? In a certain country, it seems forty-one percent of the population believe that the Second Coming of Christ will occur within the next forty years! The seven trumpets from the Book of Revelation may blow at any minute!

Nakazawa, the other students, and Riza were already terrified at the sight of Izumi's behavior, then they all shuddered once she slowly turned to face them. Her smile disappeared and she now had a dead expression on her face.

Izumi – But, honestly… The end of the world might not be such a bad thing. I've had enough tolerance with men and love and so forth. If I can't even live up to be a housewife when I'm called forty, then it'd be better if everything just came to an end.

Nakazawa was still terrified, but he tried reaching out to Izumi hesitantly.

Nakazawa – Um… Curtis-sensei?

Izumi then sharply stood straight back up, startling Nakazawa and everyone else in the classroom. She then seemed to snap back to her usual self since her face returned to normal.

Izumi – Now then, as you all know, Riza Hawkeye-san has been sent here as the representative from the animal shelter our class will be holding our fund-raiser for…

Izumi gestured to Riza, who stood up and bowed to all the students.

Izumi – But, before we discuss that… let's welcome our new transfer student.

Most of the students sighed hopelessly, which ended up with Izumi giving them a death glare. Riza sighed as well, but made sure Izumi didn't see her.

Riza – (I doubt she forgot, but still…)

Alphonse and Winry smiled sympathetically at Riza since they heard her talk to them through telepathy.

Izumi – Then Elric, come on in.

All the students in the classroom gasped in shock and surprise once they heard Izumi say the name "Elric". May almost jumped out of her seat herself.

May – Wait! Did she say, Elric?!

Alphonse, Winry, and Riza were the only ones who were calm and they smiled once they saw Edward walk into the classroom. Alphonse and Winry however were especially happy to see him.

Riza – (Winry was right. He and Alphonse do look very much alike.)

Many of the students were still surprised that Edward had the same last name as Alphonse and some of the others were commenting on his long hair and about how handsome he looked. But when a few other kids commented about how short Edward was, he quickly turned his head to the side to give those kids a death glare, which scared almost the entire classroom half to death. Edward's eyes turned red and were glaring daggers as his temper rose. He then unleashed his anger with a really powerful voice towards all his new classmates.

Edward – WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SEE HIM IF HE WERE THE SIZE OF A PIECE OF LINT THAT ANYONE WOULD JUST CARELESSLY SUCK UP WITH A VACUME CLEANER AND THROW AWAY?!

While all the other students were scared out of their minds, Alphonse and Winry, who were also a little startled, hung their heads down hopelessly. Riza just continued to stare at Edward, completely startled by his sudden outburst. Just then, Izumi stepped behind Edward, causing him to turn around and shrink in fear once he saw how scary she looked.

Izumi – I won't have any trouble brewing around in my classroom! Understand, EDWARD ELRIC?!

Edward shrunk down even more.

Edward – Y-yes, Sensei.

Once Izumi, Edward and all the other students calmed down, Edward got to the front of the classroom and stood proudly in front of everyone.

Izumi – Now, please introduce yourself.

Edward – I'm Edward Elric. Nice to meet you all.

As Izumi finished writing Edward's name on the board, one student raised her hand for him.

Random Girl – Um, you said, "Elric". Then are you by any chance related to Alphonse Elric-san?

Alphonse then stood up from his seat.

Alphonse – That's right. He's my older brother.

All the other kids in the classroom gasped in shock. Edward then waved to Alphonse.

Edward – It's been a while hasn't it, Al?

Alphonse – Yeah!

Edward – (It's been a while too, hasn't it, Winry?)

Edward then turned towards Riza.

Edward – (And nice to finally meet you in person, Hawkeye.)

Alphonse, Winry, and Riza all looked very shocked once they heard Edward talk to them through telepathy.

Izumi – All right, settle down. You'll all get a chance to talk during free period.

Edward then appeared to brush his bangs out of his face, but then he smiled at Alphonse, Winry, and Riza and showed that he was holding his Soul Timer in the hand he used to brush away his hair. The three contractors all gasped in shock once they saw the silver watch barely showing in Edward's hand.

Winry – (What?!)

Riza – (A Soul Timer?!)

Alphonse – (Then, Nii-san… is also…!)

Izumi – For now, take your seat. There's a free desk next to Nakazawa.

Edward continued to smile at Alphonse as he quickly put his Soul Timer away.

* * *

Once the break came, Alphonse, Winry, Riza, Roy, and Edward were all shown talking on the roof together.

Riza – What?! You already knew, Sir?

Roy – Sorry, we thought it would be more fun to surprise you all.

Edward then smirked craftily and leaned closer to Alphonse, Winry and Riza.

Edward – I don't know what that old man means by we. It was all his idea.

Edward pointed to Roy, who formed a look of shock on his face before it turned into irritation.

Roy – Why you little brat…

Edward grinned evilly at Roy, then leaned back again and returned his expression to normal.

Edward – To be honest, I really should have introduced myself last night.

Winry – Last night? You mean when we were out hunting that nightmare, Mustang-san wasn't the only one waiting at the rendezvous point?

Riza and Alphonse gasped in realization.

Roy – That's right. I had Fullmetal help me out as well.

Winry – Fullmetal?

Roy – Just a small nickname I came up with due to how he uses his magic.

Riza sighed.

Riza – You've always been obsessed with nicknames…

Edward – I don't mind.

Edward then grinned.

Edward – It has an oppressive feel to it. Sure, I'll take that on.

Roy – His power is amazing, at that. With it, we can attack multiple times at once, boosting our strength several times over.

Edward then sighed.

Edward – But, I can only really fight in a support role. I don't have very good attack power, honestly.

Winry – You seem pretty reliable though, Ed. We've been getting really powerful nightmares lately, so we could use some extra help.

Riza – And you've already proven yourself to have excellent skills from your performance last night. That's fine enough with me.

Edward – Al and Winry must have already told you about me, but again: I'm Edward Elric. From now on, I'll help you guys battle the nightmares of this town. I look forward to working with you!

Edward gave everyone a thumbs up and a wink. Roy and Riza smiled, Winry beamed, and Alphonse ran forward and took his brother's hands into his own, shocking Edward a little.

Alphonse – Let's do our best together, Nii-san!

Alphonse smiled even more warmly at Edward, who then smiled back at his little brother.

* * *

Lots of time seemed to pass and Alphonse and Edward were shown sitting underneath a tree together on a hill filled with flowers, watching East City from afar. Kyubey was sleeping on the ground in front of them.

Alphonse – It's so beautiful.

Edward – Yeah.

Alphonse – It's already been a month since you transferred here, Nii-san.

Edward – It's weird, right? It feels like I've been here forever. And yet, it also feels like this month's just flown by. What a strange thing time can be.

Alphonse giggled.

Alphonse – It'd be nice if the nightmares stayed away tonight and everyone could get a good night's sleep.

Kyubey then woke up and made a few of his "kyuu" sounds again and Alphonse began petting him as if he were a cat.

Alphonse – It's strange, but I get the feeling…

Alphonse looked over at Edward.

Alphonse – that I've been wanting to talk with you like this for a long time, Nii-san. Which is weird, since talking isn't such a big deal. And we live and go to school together everyday again anyway.

Edward – I know. But I actually feel the same way. It's as if I've been waiting so long to be able to spend time with you like this, Al.

* * *

 **Sorry, but that's all for now.**

 **I know, I know, it's shorter than my other chapters and it's not too deep into the plot yet but cut me some slack, it's the beginning of the story and the Rebellion has a shorter plot line than the original series. I promise I'll have more stuff up soon. But for now, I hope this much makes you guys happy enough.**

 **Thank you, see you next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**OH MY GOD! I am SOOO sorry!**

 **I meant to update the next chapter much sooner, but I got lazy and then my family and I went on a trip. I deeply apologize for making all of you wait for so long. I'll try to get the next chapters out much quicker. And thank you all for being so patient, I promise this chapter won't** **disappoint. After all, the action begins now!**

 **Sit back, grab a snack, put on your awesome goggles, and enjoy the show.**

* * *

Later on that night, May was shown in her room, looking out the window and watching the cars drive along the highways in the distance. She then looked down at her hands, which were holding a phone. After a moment, May narrowed her eyes in determination and dialed a number. She then ran over to her bed as the phone rang and sat down as she waited. Finally, someone picked up.

 **May's Mom** **–** **Hello?**

May looked a little startled at first once she heard her mother's voice, but then she smiled.

May – Oh, hello, Mom. Are you free to talk right now?

 **May's Mom** **–** **Hello, May. Yes, I am, why? And shouldn't you be in bed by now?**

May – I'm sorry for calling so late at night. But since it's daytime where you guys are now, I figured it was the perfect time I could reach you. Um… I was wondering if you guys were still going to be home by this Sunday?

May stood up and walked around her room for a while as she waited for her mother's response.

 **May's Mom** **–** **I'm sorry, May. But we have to stay for at least another week. The extension of the program greatly impacted its progress, so we still have quite a bit of work to do.**

May – Oh, I see.

 **May's Mom** **–** **I'm sorry we've been away for so long and could never make it home any earlier.**

May – You don't need to apologize for that. Is Dad free to talk?

 **May's Mom** **–** **I'm afraid not. He's in the middle of a conference right now and he won't be done for a while.**

May – That's all right. I'm glad that Dad's working so hard right now. I really love that about him… and you too, Mom.

May's Mom seemed to giggle happily.

 **May's Mom** **–** **Thank you, May. You don't know how much it means to your father and I to hear you say that. We love you, dear. I have to go soon.**

May – Okay, I know it may not be the right time for you guys but, good night.

May then hung up the phone and stood still for a while before she flopped down onto her large bed and stared at the ceiling.

May – That's right. Mom and Dad put in so much energy when they're working hard, and I love them that way.

May got up and walked over to a training dummy sitting near the corner of her room. She then began to spar with the practice dummy and appeared to be a little angry.

May – But… Would it kill them to put some of that effort into our family for once?! They've been gone for far too long, leaving me here all by myself without even thinking about how it affects me!

May then punched the dummy very hard, impaling it completely with her fist and tears began to fill up in her eyes. She then ran back to her bed and flopped down on it again. As May began to cry, red threads appeared to be showing within her eyes as well.

May – I've had it! I don't need parents anymore! And their business program can just disappear as well!

A bunch of red threads began sprawling out of the bottom of May's bed and began surrounding her whole room, making it look like an ocean of red threads. Inhuman looking fish and boats were shown swimming and sailing in the sea of threads and May appeared as if she was being brought into the center of the red thread sea, without even noticing her strange surroundings.

May – I know what I'll do. I… I…

The sea of red threads went back underneath the bed, which then appeared to swallow May herself. A bunch of red threads then immediately burst out of the bed and started to fly out the window and towards the sky. The shadow of another doll-like creature appeared and began to follow the red thread as it flew across East City.

* * *

Roy was then shown writing at his desk, in the office at his house. Candeloro was also shown, watching him as he worked. Roy then appeared to stop writing.

Mami – _Roy, you wouldn't have to stay up so late grading these tests if you didn't put off the work until now._

Candeloro spoke in some kind of unusual language and runes were shown coming out of her mouth as she spoke, but Roy seemed to understand what she was saying since he then smiled at her.

Roy – First Hawkeye, now you, Mami. There's always someone there to lecture me about all this paperwork, isn't there?

Candeloro, or as Roy called her, Mami, appeared to sigh, then she quickly froze and her body vibrated, capturing Roy's attention. She then looked up at him with a shocked expression.

Mami – _A nightmare is here! A nightmare is coming!_

Roy then looked a little distressed.

Roy – What? Again?

Mami – _It's close! It's really close to here!_

Roy then stood up and began to walk out of his office.

Roy – What a pain. I'll never get these tests corrected at this rate.

* * *

The different patterned cloth sky had already appeared and Winry and Riza were shown leaping from building to building though they weren't transformed into their magical contractor clothes. The two contractors then landed on a construction crane and looked towards the direction of the doll-like creature that was born from May, which was sitting on another building.

Riza – So… Is that May Chang's nightmare?

Winry – May's really having a hard time, isn't she? Well, it's not very surprising considering she has such oblivious parents.

Riza – I could feel some emotional baggage there, coming from you.

Winry – Really? Well, I guess it's because I've got some life experience.

May's nightmare then noticed Winry and Riza and shot a bunch of dummies out of its mouth in a poof of smoke. Winry and Riza looked up in shock to see the dummies heading straight towards them. The two contractors then quickly jumped off of the crane before the dummies crashed into it and they landed onto a train that was passing by, where Roy and Mami were already waiting.

Roy – Pay attention, you two. If you don't focus on the hunt, you'll put yourselves in danger. I expected you would know that the most, Hawkeye.

Riza – Right. Forgive me, Sir.

Winry – Where are Ed and Al?

Edward and Alphonse were then shown running across the top of the train towards the group.

Edward – Hey! Wait up!

Edward and Alphonse finally caught up to the others, although Winry looked a bit irritated.

Alphonse – Sorry to keep you waiting.

Winry then hit both Edward and Alphonse's heads hard with her wrench.

Winry – It took you two long enough to get here!

Edward then looked up at Winry angrily.

Edward – That doesn't mean you just start hitting us whenever you feel like it!

Alphonse – Maybe you could hit us a little less hard next time, Winry?

Kyubey then came over as well and made his "kyuu" sounds a few times as he watched the group. Mami faced Kyubey and make strange hissing sounds at him, almost as if she didn't like him. She then looked around at everyone and then back at Roy.

Mami – _Everyone's here. Everyone's here now._

Roy nodded at Mami, then he narrowed his eyes in determination and stared outwards towards the nightmare.

Roy – All right! Let's go, everyone!

Riza, Winry, Edward, and Alphonse stared in the same direction with determined expressions as well.

Edward, Alphonse, Winry, and Riza – Right!

The five magical contractors each took out their Soul Timers and brought them to their chests, then they held them all out and transformed into their magical contractor clothes. The five contractors then took out each of their weapons and took a group battle stance.

Edward, Alphonse, Winry, Roy, and Riza – REDEMPTORE MAGI SUPER QUINTET!

* * *

The light from the group's transformations shined brightly from their location, letting the nightmare know that it was in for a fight. The nightmare took some kind of staff out of its mouth in a small puff of smoke and then it slammed the staff down onto the building it was sitting on. The force of the impact caused the structure of the building, the street, and all the other buildings alongside it to bloat up and move out of place. Another building's structure began to bloat up as well until it completely blew up in a poof of smoke. Edward, Alphonse, and Roy were then shown gliding through the air towards the destroyed building.

Edward – Al! Mustang!

Roy – Roger! Mami!

Mami unleashed two long yellow ribbons, which Roy quickly grabbed a hold of. She sent one of the ribbons towards Alphonse, which he quickly grabbed as well and she sent the other towards Edward, who tied the end of the ribbon to his wrist.

Alphonse – Go for it, Nii-san!

Edward – I got it!

Edward began to activate his armored arm's compartment as Mami's ribbon hoisted him into the air, but then he saw the nightmare unleash more dummies from its mouth in a flash of smoke and they were heading straight for him. Edward narrowed his eyes, clapped his hands, formed his armor blade, and sliced through each dummy that came at him. He then landed on a cloud of smoke resulted from the destroyed building and held out his armored arm again. Edward's magic circle appeared over the hand of his armored arm and the small compartment on it quickly activated, causing time to stop. Because Mami's ribbons were attaching Edward to Alphonse and Roy, they both were still able to move in time as well. Roy and Alphonse flew close to each other and clapped hands, which allowed their powers to combine. Rather than a giant musket or a large light arrow, the combination of the two contractors' magic created a crossbow rifle that had designs from both Roy's flame muskets and Alphonse's bow, and at the center of the crossbow was a flaming light arrow. Both Alphonse and Roy narrowed their eyes in determination and both of their magic circles appeared underneath their feet as they prepared their attack.

Alphonse and Roy – FIRE!

Roy snapped his fingers and Alphonse clapped his hands, triggering the attack, and the flaming light arrow shot straight across to the destroyed building until it stopped in time. Edward then narrowed his eyes in determination as he gazed at the building.

Edward – RELEASE!

Edward resumed time and allowed Alphonse and Roy's attack to make contact with the building. As soon as it hit, a large ring of flames began to surround the building and a bunch of light arrows shot straight into all its broken parts, beginning to push them back into place. Eventually, the light arrows and the flame ring itself completely closed in on the building and in a flash of magic, the building was completely fixed and restored, causing the street, the buildings alongside it, and the building the nightmare was still standing on to be restored as well. The nightmare was then blasted away by another flash of Alphonse and Roy's magic, but the blue puppet controlling hands caught it and began to carry it away. Winry was then shown using Mami's ribbons to swing herself towards the building the nightmare was just standing on, until she let go of the yellow ribbon and began to chase after the nightmare herself.

Winry – I know how you feel, but you need to calm down, May!

Winry ran off the building and leaped through the air, then she landed on the roof of a small tower and her magic circle appeared beneath her feet just as she created five of her swords. She threw each of them after the nightmare one by one and then sharply looked up.

Winry – Riza-san!

Riza was shown standing on another tower, grinning once she heard Winry and then she created a giant latticework barrier. Winry's swords passed straight through the fence, and latticework chains from it attached to each sword as they continued to pursue their target. The nightmare tried to avoid the swords as they gained on it, but no matter where it flew, the blades continued to follow it. Eventually it got surrounded and tied up with the latticework chains attached to the swords. Each sword then pinned itself into a large white table, which the nightmare then fell onto now that it could no longer run away.

Alphonse – It's stopped moving!

Alphonse, Roy, Edward, Winry, Riza, and even Mami then headed towards the nightmare together.

Roy – Good work! Now, everyone, let's finish this!

Each of the five contractors landed on each of Winry's pinned swords and Mami landed on the nightmare itself. A giant burst of magic then emerged from the top of the table and when it cleared, the nightmare was trapped inside a serving tray that had a clear cover, with Mami standing on top of it. The serving tray was placed on top of a much smaller turquoise colored table with a black place setting on top of it. Edward, Alphonse, Winry, Roy, and Riza were all sitting at each of the five turquoise chairs that surrounded the table.

Roy – Now then, today's choice of food is… a round cake.

Edward – Huh? A round cake?

Roy – That's right. A round cake.

Mami then wrapped herself up in her ribbons, and when she unwrapped them, she had turned into her much larger and more-scary looking form. She soon came up very close to Edward, causing his face to turn a little purple. Alphonse giggled a little and Roy grinned since they both saw Edward's expression.

Roy – One of us here is this round cake. Who could it be?

Mami then glanced over at Winry.

Mami – _Is the cake Winry?_

Winry smiled at Mami and crossed her hands to make an x.

Winry – No, not me. I am the apple.

An apple then appeared inside the serving tray where the nightmare was and it quickly ate it.

Winry – But I do know that the round cake is sour. Then, is the cake Riza-san?

Riza's eyes were closed and she had a blank expression on her face, which didn't change even once Winry questioned her.

Riza – No, I'm afraid you're wrong. I am the lemon.

A lemon then appeared inside the tray and the nightmare ate it as well.

Riza – However, the round cake is hot and likes Mami. So, is the cake you, Sir?

Mami quickly raced over to Roy and opened her jaws wide, but then a few runes came out of her mouth, which said tea. Roy didn't seem startled by her movements and proceeded to answer Riza's question.

Roy – In fact, I am not. I am the teacup.

A cup of tea then appeared beside the nightmare, which didn't waste any time eating it.

Roy – My clue is that the round cake goes round in circles. Could the cake be Fullmetal?

Edward's expression turned to one of slight panic once he saw Mami staring at him, then he started waving his hands in front of him frantically as he looked at his friends.

Edward – No, no! It's really not me! I am the… pumpkin!

A big green pumpkin then appeared inside of the nightmare's mouth.

Edward – But the round cake is definitely sweet. Is the cake Al?

Alphonse smiled at Edward as he shook his head.

Alphonse – No, not me. I am the melon.

A melon then appeared inside of the tray and the nightmare ate it just like it ate all the other foods.

Alphonse – You know, they say that when the melon breaks, it brings everyone sweet dreams.

Riza – That's true, but tonight's dream is a bitter one, isn't it?

Winry – Yeah, and it appears that atop the plate is the dream of the cat.

Each of the five contractors then stood up and took ahold of each of their corners of the place setting spread across the table.

Roy – It is very round and plump. So everyone eat…

Edward, Alphonse, Winry, Roy, and Riza – UP!

The five contractors pulled each of their pieces of the place setting off of the table and a giant cake erupted and grew from the spot where the trapped nightmare was. Mami then flew high above the cake, came back down head first with her mouth wide open, and swallowed the entire pastry in one gulp. The five contractors leapt into the air above Mami after she swallowed the massive cake, then Winry came charging back down and landed harshly on her stomach. The force of the impact allowed Mami to release all the gas in her body from eating the entire cake, along with a black blob that took the form of May's head, which was crying. Winry held the blob close to her and picked up a child's drawling of a girl with her parents. She lifted the picture up into the air and it began to glow, then the silhouettes of the parents from the picture came to life and took the form of May's parents. The blob form of May's head began to cry tears of happiness as she smiled and began to fly up and dance around with the silhouettes of her parents. Soon, the blob and the silhouettes began to revolve around each other and turn into colored lights, indicating that May's distress was being purified. Winry and Mami looked up at the light with smiles on their faces and then Riza, Roy, Edward, and Alphonse were shown walking over to Winry and Mami, smiling as well. The colored lights shone over each of their Soul Timers, causing the watches to automatically open. The black taint on the inside of each Soul Timer began to clear away and the counting needles ticked counterclockwise until they reached zero. Finally, the light disappeared and May was shown sleeping soundly on her bed, smiling as if she was having a good dream.

* * *

The sky and the abnormalities around East City returned to normal and the sun was beginning to rise. Mami then returned to her normal size and landed on Alphonse and Edward's hands as the two brothers high fived.

Edward – All right!

Alphonse – We did it!

Kyubey then made one of his "kyuu" sounds and jumped up onto Winry's arm as she walked over to Alphonse and Edward and hugged them.

Winry – We really can do anything with our powers combined, can't we?

Edward and Alphonse smiled at Winry, then Riza walked over to them and put her hand on Winry's shoulder.

Riza – Don't get overconfident, Winry. We had a few close calls back there, as well.

Roy then walked over to the group and Mami flew back onto his shoulder.

Roy – That's right. We can't afford to let our guards down. Nightmares are still dangerous even against all five of us.

Riza – I suppose it can't be helped.

Everyone looked over at Riza confusedly.

Riza – Why don't we go to your place and have a strategy meeting, Sir? It will be good to discuss our battle tactics to plan ahead the next time a nightmare emerges.

Winry – That does sound like a good idea… But, at Mustang-san's place? Are you sure you don't just want to make sure he finished his paperwork, Riza-san?

Winry smirked at Riza, who grinned back at her. Roy sighed, then he smiled.

Roy – Well, it doesn't look like I'll be getting out of this one. How about you all come over and Mami and I will prepare some refreshments as a reward for tonight's victory?

Edward, Alphonse, Winry, and Riza – Sure!

As the sun continued to rise, the group transformed back into their regular clothes and Alphonse and Edward ran further ahead of the others to get a closer view as they watched the sun rise above East City. Alphonse, Edward, Riza, Winry, Roy, and even Mami's smiles grew even bigger as they continued to stare at the beautiful sunrise. As Edward continued to stare in awe, his smile soon disappeared and he began to look around his surroundings, almost as if something was not quite right.

* * *

The five contractors were then shown walking together to Roy's house, talking along the way.

Roy – I'm afraid I'm quite low on juice at the moment, but I do have enough of that chamomile tea for one more pot.

Alphonse – That's fine with me. That tea was really delicious anyway.

Mami – _I'd like tea too, please._

Roy – I thought so. You deserve a reward for tonight too, Mami. I've also just opened a new can of Echinacea tea as well.

Winry – Mami can have my cup then. I don't really like sour things.

Riza – I'm still quite surprised by that, Winry. Most of your tastes are quite refined.

Winry – Well, everyone's picky about some foods, aren't they?

Unlike the others however, Edward was silent, not paying much attention to the conversation as he stared down at the ground while he trailed behind them. Alphonse soon noticed his brother's silence and looked back at him concernedly.

Alphonse – Nii-san? Is something wrong?

Edward sharply looked up, surprised by Alphonse's question. The others then looked back at Edward as well, who quickly smiled to try and reassure them.

Edward – What are you talking about, Al? I'm fine.

Alphonse and the others smiled again and turned their heads back around. Edward then frowned again and proceeded to stare at the ground.

Edward – (Have our battles… really always been like this?)

* * *

 **Episode two, complete!**

 **I hope you all liked this chapter, and again, sorry about the long wait. But in the end, i hope it was all worth it, because things are starting to get interesting…**

 **The team name is "Redemptore Magi" instead of "Puella Magi" because redemptore means contractor, and these guys are magical contractors instead of magical girls. Get it? thought I would add that in there. I also hope you liked how I made the cake song into a conversation instead. If you didn't then I'm sorry, but it was just too cheesy to make them all sing like the puella magi characters did. You can tell me your opinions if you want. I also hope I did a good job describing all the nightmare battles so far, because they were not easy to put into words when I first started this… Oh, what am I saying, you guys don't want to hear my boring hardships!**

 **Anyway… Reviews, comments, and recommendations are highly recommended. So let me know what you think and I'll see you all again in the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh man! I promised you guys I would have the next chapter up soon and then I left you hanging again, didn't I? I really am very sorry about all these delays and broken promises but I am definitely going to try harder from here on. If you don't believe me when I say that anymore, I totally understand.**

 **But I hope I can at least put your minds at ease with this chapter. I don't want to speak for you guys but hopefully it was worth the wait… because here is where it gets JUICY.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

As time went on, Edward began to notice some strange things happening around East City that he failed to notice before. Though everything in the city appeared to be normal, Edward soon realized that besides himself, Alphonse, Winry, Roy, Riza, Izumi, May, and even Nakazawa, everyone else in their school was different from them. They seemed to have strange red faces and black dot eyes, but no mouths, which made them look a little inhuman. Edward, Alphonse, Winry, Roy, Riza, Mami, and Kyubey were then all shown sitting on one of the benches on the school roof eating lunch together. Edward was smiling as he watched and talked to his friends, but then his smile disappeared again and he looked behind him to look down at all the people he could see around East City. Every person he saw looked exactly the same as all the other students and teachers in their school. Edward then narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he continued to observe all the strange looking people populating the city he called home.

Alphonse – Nii-san!

Edward looked up to see Alphonse standing above him, smiling while holding out his lunch to him. Winry was also shown giving some of her lunch to Riza.

Alphonse – Do you want a piece of fried chicken? Mom forgot to pack you some, didn't she?

Edward – Oh, sure. Thanks, Al.

Alphonse put some chicken into Edward's lunch box and then walked back to his spot on the bench. Edward smiled at his brother, but then frowned as he once again looked down at the ground.

* * *

Later on that evening, some kind of circus man was shown playing a music box that had a bunch of balloons tied to it. Multiple little boys with golden hair and girls with blond hair, all wearing black clothes and had pale skin but no eyes or mouths were shown sitting around the man, listening to the music. One of the girls then began to whisper into one of the boys' ear and a red balloon from the music box began to float away. The balloon passed by a bunch of tables and chairs and then it passed by one table that Riza and Edward were sitting at. The two contractors were sitting across from each other and they both had a drink with them.

Riza – So? What did you want to talk about?

Edward – Well… Hawkeye, have things felt a little odd to you lately?

Riza looked a little curious.

Riza – Like what?

Edward – Well, I don't know exactly… but everything, I think.

Riza – What do you mean? Is there something wrong?

Edward looked at Riza with a serious expression.

Edward – The reason I decided to talk to you before anyone else was because, you're the one who feels strangest to me.

Riza then looked a little startled.

Edward – Compared to the impression of you I have inside me, the person you are now just seems completely different. You're not the same at all.

Riza – Now hold on just a minute, Edward-kun. I don't know what all of this is about, but if you're trying to pick a fight with me…

Edward – Hawkeye, where are you living right now?

Riza – Winry is letting me stay at her place while her parents are away on their business trip in America. I thought you already knew that.

Edward – How long have you been working at the East City Animal Shelter?

Riza – I was hired long before you transferred in.

Edward then narrowed his eyes even more.

Edward – And when was that?

Riza suddenly looked a little confused.

Riza – I believe… It was last year, around…

Riza then looked up to the ceiling.

Riza – That's strange, when was I hired exactly? Why does it matter to you, though?

Edward – Where were you before you moved to East City?

Riza – A neighboring city, Central.

Edward – That's the highest ranked city in the country, right?

Riza – Yes. I had to stay there because of my military duties. It was also quite a rough territory to handle, but after the war ended it had become surprisingly quiet. So when Mustang told me he was having trouble here, I came over to help.

Edward – Have you gone back to visit Central lately?

Riza – No. I'm not a soldier anymore, so I don't necessarily have a reason to go back.

Edward was quiet for a while, then he took a sip from his drink and looked back up at Riza.

Edward – Hawkeye, will you come with me to Central right now?

Riza then looked a little shocked.

Riza – What? Why?

Edward – I just want to see it with my own eyes. If it looks like the city you remember, I'll apologize. I'll know that I'm the one who's mistaken, here.

Riza – I still don't know what this is about, but it doesn't seem like you're teasing me. You're serious, aren't you?

Edward continued to stare at Riza with the familiar fire burning in his eyes.

Edward – Yeah.

Riza finished her drink and then stood up.

Riza – There's an even larger library there than the one here. If there's nothing else you want to do once we get there, why don't we stop by? I know how much you and Alphonse-kun like books.

Edward stood up as well and grinned.

Edward – Sure!

* * *

Riza and Edward were then shown riding on the top of an open top bus. The two contractors were sitting next to each other, watching their surroundings as the wind blew their hair. The bus soon came to a stop that was just at the edge of East City, where all of the passengers except for Riza and Edward got off.

Riza – Once we reach the next stop, we'll be in Central.

Edward nodded and the bus continued to drive. Riza then pressed the "Next Stop" button by her seat.

Recorded Speaker – The next stop is East City, Third Street. Please use this stop for Shinonome Dental—

Riza then looked up in shock. She quickly stood up and looked ahead at the direction the bus was taking. Edward then stood up as well.

Riza – That's not right. We're supposed to turn left here!

Riza and Edward watched in shock as the bus turned right instead. After reaching the station, the two contractors got off the bus and watched it drive away, noticing that the sign at the top of the bus said "East City Loop Line". Edward then began to run to the next pick up station and Riza quickly followed after him.

Edward – Did we get on the wrong bus?

Riza – No. I'm positive we got on the bus bound for Central Station.

Edward – Let's catch the next bus and try again. And make sure we're on the right one this time.

* * *

Edward and Riza waited for the next bus to pull into the station. Once they saw it coming, they looked up at the sign and saw that it said "Central Station West Entrance".

Riza – This time we're certain.

Edward nodded as he continued to stare at the bus as it came to a stop and allowed the two contractors to get on. Once it started driving away, Riza once again pressed the "Next Stop" button by her seat.

Recorded voice – The next stop is East City, Second Street. Please use this stop for East City Municipal Elementary School. Stop requested.

Riza and Edward looked up in shock again and saw that the bus made the exact same mistake as it did the first time, turning the wrong corner. Riza then hopped down onto the front of the bus and looked at the bus driver with an irritated expression.

Riza – Hold it right there! What do you think you're doing?!

The bus driver didn't respond to Riza at all and continued to drive, as if he was a robot. Edward then hopped down beside her, put a hand on her shoulder, and shook his head no. Riza seemed to calm down, but she continued to look at the bus driver with an irritated expression. The two contractors got off the bus once it reached its stop and watched it drive away. The sign once again said "East City Loop Line".

Riza – What's going on here?

Edward – This time, we'll go on foot. If we walk back to that crossroads and take the left fork, we should reach Central, right?

Riza – Yes.

* * *

Riza and Edward were then shown walking down the same road their bus drove by, however the road seemed to go on forever.

Riza – That's strange… Was it really this far to the crossroads?

Edward – No. Your guess is as good as mine… We should have reached it by now.

Riza and Edward then looked up in shock to see that they were suddenly at the bus station on the bridge.

Riza – N-no way.

Edward then looked back behind him and narrowed his eyes again.

Edward – Neither of us is absent-minded enough to have missed such a large crossroads, right?

Riza then took out her Soul Timer and began to open it.

Riza – Is this… some kind of an illusion? To keep us from leaving East City?

Edward quickly put his hand over Riza's Soul Timer to keep her from opening it.

Edward – Somehow, I doubt it's that simple. I get the feeling that nothing actually exists outside of this East City.

Riza looked at Edward with a confused and startled expression.

Riza – Wait… What?

Edward then looked at Riza and softened his gaze.

Edward – Hawkeye, could you keep this a secret from the others for a little while? There's something I want to investigate further on my own first.

Riza then looked at Edward with a shocked expression.

Riza – What do you mean, Edward-kun?! How can we act like nothing's wrong after seeing this?!

Edward – It'll be fine.

Edward then narrowed his eyes again and looked out towards the road.

Edward – I'm sure it will be safer to pretend we haven't discovered anything.

Riza looked in the same direction as Edward and saw that a bunch of citizens were staring and crowding the two contractors. The strange thing though, was that each person's head looked just like puppet versions Riza and Edward's heads.

Edward – In fact, the more we appear to know, the more likely we are to be targeted. That is the trap lying ahead of us.

Riza – Do you have some idea of what's going on?

Edward – Yeah. That's why I don't want you to draw any attention. Just leave things to me for now.

Riza was hesitant but she soon nodded her head. All the people who were staring at her and Edward appeared to return to normal and they started to walk away.

Edward – Whoever trapped us here hasn't done anything more than that to us so far. So as long as we play along with them, we shouldn't be in any danger.

Riza – All right. I understand.

Riza turned around and began to walk away, but then she stopped. Edward turned around and looked at her once he heard her stop.

Riza – You may be right. Perhaps my memories are all mixed up.

Edward – Hawkeye?

Riza – It's strange. I want to say I've hardly ever seen you act like this before, Edward-kun. But it doesn't feel out of place for you at all.

Riza then turned her head and smiled at Edward.

Riza – In fact, it's a side of you that feels just right to me.

Riza then continued on her way and Edward smiled after her. But then he frowned and looked down at the ground again.

Edward – (Am I the only one who remembers?)

Edward sharply turned around and narrowed his eyes as he began to walk down the road. He then used is right hand to brush his bangs out of his face as he continued to walk, staring ahead of the road with a determined expression.

Edward – (That's right… I've seen this kind of trap before. A closed-off world of illusion. A maze with no exit, where prey is lured and lead astray.)

Edward then looked down at his right hand and gripped it into a tight fist as he looked up again, narrowed his eyes further, and the fire inside them burned even more brightly.

Edward – (There's no doubt. This is… a wraith or a witch's labyrinth.)

* * *

Edward was then shown walking through a door, down a long set of stairs, past a dark hallway filled with screens on the walls that began to show everything that happened in every single one of the timelines he traveled and lived through.

Edward – (Wraiths and witches… They who spread despair and give rise to disaster. They are the final, accursed forms of magical contractors who have given in to despair. In the past, I fought to overturn this cruel destiny by repeating the same period of time over and over again. Until finally, it all ended when one boy sacrificed himself, breaking the cruel cycle of hope and despair. And the world should have been led to a new order.)

Edward looked up at the screens, which showed when Alphonse made his contract to change the universe, and became a god as a result. The screens each then turned black again once they froze on the image of Alphonse, when he was talking to Edward while the universe was being reformed.

Edward – (However… we have all forgotten what really happened. No, we were made to forget.)

Edward was then shown walking through East City, passing by many people, or really "fake people".

Edward – (Someone is trying to implant false memories within us and keep us entrapped… Here, in this false East City.)

Edward continued on his way through the "false" East City, not giving any attention to the people he passed by.

* * *

 **AT LAST THE PLOT BEGINS!**

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter and again, sorry for letting you guys down for so long. Hopefully I won't do it again next time. Please look forward to the next chapter, because if you guys have already seen The Rebellion Story, then you must know what's coming up next.**

 **See you soon! (For real this time)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we go! Chapter 4!**

 **Hopefully the rest of the updates will be as fast as or even faster than this one, because here is where the story begins to take a "turn". It has been a long time, but for those of you who were always wondering why I put Candeloro in the first story and into this story, you will finally have your answer.**

 **I also know how the chapters are a lot shorter than the ones from my previous story, but not too much happened in the Rebellion, so that's why. Please try to bear with it. I promise everything will be worth it once we reach the climax.**

 **Now enough delays and temptations to give you guys spoilers, LETS GO!**

* * *

Some time later, Alphonse and Edward were shown at Roy's house, sitting at the table in his living room with him and Mami. The three contractors were drinking juice and eating homemade cake while Mami was gracefully drinking a cup of tea. Kyubey was also shown sleeping on one of the couches near the table. While Alphonse seemed to eat with polite manners, Edward was just shoving cake into his mouth.

Roy – Stuffing your face as usual, Fullmetal?

Edward then glanced up at Roy with a slightly irritated expression.

Roy – I see your manners are the same as ever. Perhaps you could take a few lessons from Mami. She's more refined than even Hawkeye.

Mami smiled up at Roy.

Mami – _Thank you._

Edward – Whatever. I don't need to be lectured about eating habits by you, Mustang.

Alphonse – Nii-san… I've also been a little concerned about your eating habits. Not only do you never use any table manners but you also eat way too much.

Edward then looked even more irritated.

Edward – Shut up.

Mami – _Eating with fine manners will help you grow big and strong._

Roy – That's right. And maybe you'll finally grow a few inches taller too.

Edward then started glaring daggers at Roy.

Edward – DAMN IT! DON'T YOU START WITH ME MUSTANG!

Roy – What? I didn't say anything about your short stature that time, did I?

Edward's rage began to boil even more as Roy continued to grin at him.

Mami – _Come on. Stop it, Roy._

Roy – Fine. Whatever you say, Mami.

Edward then started to calm down and Alphonse began giggling.

Alphonse – You and Mami really get along, don't you? Now that I think about it, Mami was with you the very first time I met you, Mustang-san.

Roy – Yeah, I've known Mami for a very long time.

A few pictures of Roy and Mami were then shown on the walls.

Roy – I actually met her even before I met you and Winry.

Edward – Hey, Mustang? I've been meaning to ask this for a long time, but… Do you remember how Mami ended up staying with you?

Roy and Alphonse looked at Edward with slightly curious expressions, however Mami looked at him with an even more curious expression as he began to stare back at her.

Mami – _Why do you ask, Elric-san?_

Edward then smiled and turned his attention back to Alphonse and Roy.

Edward – What's with all those looks? It was just a curiosity.

Alphonse smiled again as well did Roy, who then looked up at the ceiling.

Roy – Somehow, it feels like it happened so long ago. Back then, I was the only magical contractor here in East City, and the only one I had to support me and cheer me on was Mami.

Mami looked up at Roy, then she flew over onto his shoulder and smiled warmly at him. Roy then smiled back at her.

Roy – If not for her, I probably would have given up a long time ago.

Alphonse and Edward frowned a little.

Alphonse – Mustang-san…

Edward – You're much stronger and braver than that, Mustang. And that's because you were honest with us about your true self.

Roy – Thank you. I did act cocky and self-absorbed on the surface, which put me on bad terms with other magical contractors. Eventually, I put on a brave front so I could be viewed rather as a reliable senior. But now, Alphonse and Winry have come into their own, and we even have you and Hawkeye to fight alongside us. I can hardly believe how I'm surrounded by allies I can rely on now… and can even call my friends. I no longer have to strain to push myself past my limit.

Roy then noticed Mami climb up onto his head.

Mami – _Roy acts all high and mighty. But, I know… Roy gets lonely very easily._

Roy – All right. That's enough out of you.

Roy seemed to smile again, then he picked up Mami and put her back on the table. Alphonse and Edward smiled as well.

Alphonse – The nightmares have gotten stronger, but we have more magical contractors on our side, so we feel much safer when we fight than before. The truth is, I really enjoy getting together and fighting alongside my friends.

Edward then bonked Alphonse lightly on the head with the back of his right fist.

Edward – Stupid. Fighting nightmares is not supposed to be fun.

Roy – He's right, Alphonse. Remember that this isn't some kind of game.

Alphonse looked at Roy and Edward with a small guilty expression. Roy then once again looked up at the ceiling.

Roy – But I suppose it's true that the way things are now is the kind of life I could only dream about in the past. To think I could live with such happiness and leisure, even while shouldering my destiny as a magical contractor. Back then, I would have never imagined it.

Roy continued to smile and Mami hopped onto his shoulder again, smiling as well. Edward was then shown finishing up his glass of juice.

Edward – That was good! Hey, Mustang, think you could go get some more juice?

Alphonse – You really like that juice don't you, Nii-san?

Edward – It's not that. I just need a good distraction cause Mustang's such a sap.

Roy – Don't get used to it. This is the only time I'm actually letting you hear all this.

Roy put Mami down on the floor and stood up.

Roy – I might as well refill the juice glass, anyway. Wait here you two.

Edward grinned as he watched Roy walk behind him to the kitchen. What he didn't see though, was a small yellow ribbon following the older magical contractor that appeared for only a brief moment. Once Roy went into the kitchen and was out of sight, Edward quickly took out his Soul Timer and transformed into his magical contractor clothes, surprising both Alphonse and Mami.

Alphonse – Nii-san, is something wrong?

Edward then quickly held out his armored arm.

Edward – I'm sorry, Al.

Edward's magic circle appeared over his armored hand and he stopped time. He then stood up, walked over to Mami, and picked her up by her head with his armored hand, allowing her to move in time again since he was touching her. Mami blinked in confusion for a second due to the time change, then she began struggling in Edward's grip as he lifted her up.

Edward – You can drop the act now.

Mami – _What?_

Mami noticed how Edward's voice held venom in it, then she looked into his eyes and saw that they were filled with hatred as he stared at her.

Edward – I know what you really are. I remember what you used to be.

Mami – _What are you talking about?_

Edward – Our memories have been rewritten, and we're now trapped in a labyrinth made to look like East City. The only one who could've done that… is a witch like you, Candeloro.

Edward then narrowed his eyes further and stared at Mami with even more hatred. However, she continued to look at him in confusion, but also with slight nervousness.

Mami – _I don't understand…_

Edward dropped Mami, causing her to freeze in time again, but then he grabbed her by her throat. Mami was struck with shock once Edward grabbed her again and she tried to struggle out of his iron grip, as it began cutting off her amount of oxygen. Edward then started using both of his hands to hold up Mami and his grip only seemed to tighten despite her struggling.

Edward – What do you want with us? Just what is so enjoyable about toying with us this way?

Mami – _Help…_

Edward finally released his left hand and a little of his armored hand's grip on Mami, allowing her to breath again, but just barely. He then walked over to one of the windows, opened it, and took one last glance at Alphonse before he jumped out while still holding Mami.

* * *

Edward was then shown leaping from building to building across East City, trying to get as far away from Roy's house as possible.

Edward – (Memories are troublesome things, aren't they? As soon as one comes back, more flood in one after the other.)

Edward was then shown leaping through the air past a large construction site.

Edward – (Yeah, I remember now. Roy Mustang… I was never comfortable with him. He would always put on a strong front and push himself too hard, despite having the most fragile heart of any of us. The two of us hardly ever came to an understanding, leaving a deep rivalry as our only connection. And yet… even I always respected him as a mentor… and a friend.)

Edward then appeared to enter an area in the city that looked like some kind of old ruins.

Edward – (It always felt too cruel and painful revealing the truth in front of him. I hated every moment of having to do so.)

Edward finally landed in the ruins-like area and looked down at the ground with a tint of sadness in his eyes.

Edward – I wish I could have gone on without remembering… just how many hearts I've trampled on to this day.

Mami – _I don't know. You shouldn't blame me for that._

Edward then slammed Mami into the wall hard, causing a small dent to form in the cement behind her small body.

Edward – Talk! What do you intend to gain using such a roundabout scheme?! If you won't tell me, I'll force it out of you!

Edward tightened his grip on Mami's throat again.

Mami – _Elric-san… Can't breath…_

A small yellow magic circle along with magical flower fragments then appeared by Edward's ankle. Once he sensed the magic, he looked down in shock to see that his ankle was tied by one of Mami's ribbons, which then quickly pulled him off the building he was standing on, further into the ruins. Edward switched his grip on Mami to his left hand and slid his armored hand against the nearest building in order to slow his fall. He then leaped towards a piece of iron from a remaining bridge, and grabbed onto it with his armored hand, letting himself hang in the air by his right arm. He looked around in disbelief and slight irritation, seeing that the long yellow ribbon tied to him was spread almost all over the ruins-like area.

Roy – I'd intended to wait and listen until I understood what was happening,

Roy was then shown in his magical contractor clothes, standing on another remaining piece of an old bridge at a fair enough distance from Edward, holding the other end of Mami's long ribbon, which was tied to his wrist.

Roy – but I couldn't stand by and watch you hurt Mami any further.

Roy then looked at Edward with narrowed and suspicious eyes. Edward stared back at him with narrowed eyes as well.

Edward – You were following us all this time, by borrowing some of her ribbon magic?

Roy – Would you care to explain what this is about? What is it that you think she has done?

Edward kept his eyes narrowed as he looked at Roy.

Edward – You're being tricked by Mami. This isn't the real East City. We have all been implanted with false memories!

Roy's eyes then widened and he looked at Edward with both shock and confusion.

Roy – What? What's happened to you, Fullmetal?

Edward then closed his eyes and grit his teeth out of frustration, realizing that Roy was most likely not going to believe him if he told him the truth. Edward finally resumed time and waited a moment before he threw Mami into the air, quickly pulled out a small semi-automatic pistol from his coat, and shot at her. However, before the bullet reached her, another yellow ribbon formed around Mami's body, which Roy then pulled towards him in order to get her out of harms way. Once Mami was back at his side, she released herself from her ribbons and hid behind his shoulder.

Roy – Run, Mami!

Mami quickly turned into a bunch of small yellow ribbons and began to flee, but then Edward stopped time again and caused her to freeze in time as well. Roy glanced surprisingly at the ribbons that made up Mami once time froze again, then he narrowed his eyes again as he looked back at Edward, who then quickly flipped over and landed on top of the remaining bridge piece he was holding onto. He tried shooting at the ribbon binding him to Roy, however it disappeared once he fired and reappeared quickly afterwards. Noticing this, Edward realized that even with Mami frozen, the ribbon magic she lent Roy was still quite strong. He then glared up at the older magical contractor again.

Edward – Do you plan on protecting her, no matter what?

Roy continued to glare at Edward as well.

Roy – Don't even think of trying to pursue her. Otherwise, you'll end up having to fight me.

Edward grit his teeth again. He then stood up, put his gun back in his coat, and the two contractors continued to stare at each other for a small moment until Edward finally leaped into the air towards Roy, who followed his example. As they came closer to each other, Edward pulled out a submachine gun from his coat and Roy snapped his fingers to create multiple muskets. Edward fired multiple shots at Mami and Roy shot all of his guns towards Edward's bullets. Each enchanted and flame bullet came just inches away from each other before freezing in time, but then time resumed again, causing the bullets to clash into each other. Roy then made more muskets and shot them at Edward, who dodged the blasts along with the remaining ricochets from the clashing bullets. As he leaped through the air, he shot more of his guns at Roy as well, who also leaped through the air, avoiding the blasts from Edward and the clashing bullets. Mami was then shown continuing to fly away in her ribbons form while dodging the bullet blasts as well. Edward pulled out another submachine gun as he tumbled through the air towards her. Then both he and Roy widened their eyes in slight surprise to see that they were staring straight at each other from both sides of Mami. The two contractors quickly pointed their weapons at each other and Edward stopped time again just before he and Roy started firing. More and more bullets were shown flying through the air and then stopping in time as the two contractors constantly moved all over the ruins-like area, shooting and avoiding the other's attacks.

Roy – It seems we can read each other all too well. But do you think you can beat me in a fair fight?

Edward – In terms of endurance… I won't lose!

The two contractors continued their gun battle, however they seemed very evenly matched; one just couldn't seem to gain any advantage over the other. Edward continued to pull out all kinds of guns from his coat and Roy even started to make double-barreled muskets as they continued to pursue each other. Soon, Roy came down at Edward with great speed, preparing to fire another musket, but Edward quickly lifted up the machine gun he was using to block the musket. Even with the clashing of the two guns, Edward and Roy shot them both at each other and soon, Edward started getting out smaller guns while Roy made smaller sized muskets as the two were now shooting at each other in close combat. As they shot each of their guns, they also knocked away their opponents guns as they tried to create better openings for themselves. After avoiding another one of Roy's gunshots, Edward quickly spun around and kicked the musket away with his left leg, causing Roy to lose his balance. Edward prepared to fire again but then he slightly gasped once he saw that Roy already had two more muskets in his hands, which he quickly shot. Edward successfully dodged the bullets and dropped down further into the ruins, with Roy still following after him. As Edward dropped down he continued shooting up at Roy, who also continued shooting down at him, until Edward landed on his feet and leaped into the air back up towards Roy. The two contractors were then shown shooting at each other in close combat again as they continued on their way down towards the ground. Once they reached the bottom, Roy and Edward leaped away from each other and brought out more weapons as they pushed themselves off the floor and a wall to continue attacking each other. The determined expressions never left either one of their faces as they shot each of their weapons and soon, Roy found himself standing between so many bullets frozen in time, pointing a musket down at Edward, who was on the ground positioning himself between multiple frozen bullets as well, pointing another semi-automatic pistol up at Roy.

Now that the two contractors were no longer moving, they finally had a moment to catch their breaths, but they continued pointing their weapons at each other while keeping their determined expressions. Over a thousand enchanted and flame bullets were shown frozen in time everywhere, and then time resumed once again, causing each of the bullets to shoot into their surroundings. Roy and Edward however, were positioned just right so that none of the bullets they had shot could hit either of them. Because of all the bullets' destruction, multiple buildings collapsed and large dust clouds were left everywhere, making the ruins look even more ruined than before.

* * *

Finally, Roy lowered his musket and grinned at Edward.

Roy – Well. It seems we're at a standstill.

Edward scowled slightly, then he put his gun back in his coat and stopped time once more, causing Roy to frown again. Edward then softened his gaze, stood up, and glanced to the side for a moment before he clapped his hands together and formed his armor blade. Roy narrowed his gaze even more at first, but then he saw Edward's expression begin to show what looked like distress as he raised his blade up and put it against his neck. Roy gasped in horror and watched as Edward gripped his armored hand with his free hand to steady his blade and shut his eyes tightly, actually about to slit his own throat.

Roy – Don't!

Roy pulled on the ribbon tied to Edward's ankle, forcing him to lose his balance and fall down, however his expression remained the same and his blade successfully sliced his throat, causing blood to splatter everywhere and freeze in time as Edward's body continued to fall to the ground.

Roy – Edward!

Roy's expression grew even more horrified and he leaned forward, trying to reach Edward, who then opened his eyes in determination without Roy noticing. He quickly rose up his armored arm and used his blade, which still had some of his blood on it, to successfully slice through the yellow ribbon attaching him to Roy. Because the two contractors were no longer bonded, Roy quickly froze in time while still trying to reach for Edward, who then landed on his knees and panted, due to the shock and temporary pain he received from his risky stunt. He then looked up at Roy, showing that there was lots of blood left on his neck and the left side of his face, however the gash was no longer visible, indicating that it may have already healed.

Edward stood up, clapped his hands again to put away his armor blade, then he took out another semi-automatic pistol from his coat and pointed it at Roy's Soul Timer. However, he took a moment to stare at Roy's horrified and completely worried face, making him realize he just couldn't take the shot. So he used his other hand to help lower his armored arm and aim towards Roy's leg instead. Edward's eyes had an apologetic look in them at first, then he narrowed his eyes in determination, griped the gun with both of his hands to once again steady himself, and shot at Roy's leg. The bullet stopped in time before it met with its target and Edward looked away to the side before resuming time once more. However, once the bullet came into contact with Roy's leg, rather than damaging it the bullet passed through the leg as if it was made of smoke. Edward then looked back at Roy in shock and confusion and saw his body quickly turn into smoke and light up into flames. He gasped in shock as the flames quickly surrounded him, causing him to drop his gun and freeze into place as the fire formed into a flame ring around him. Since he could barely move while in Roy's flame rings, Edward knew he was trapped. He then looked up in front of him, where he saw the real Roy standing on a different pillar of stone, with his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed as he stared down at Edward.

Roy – Your magic is formidable indeed. But it's dangerous to assume you'll always have the upper hand.

Edward glanced to the side uncertainly before he looked back at Roy.

Edward – Mustang, do you really not sense anything? Don't you feel anything strange about yourself in this world?

Roy didn't change his expression as he continued to stare at Edward.

Roy – You didn't shoot to kill, so it seems you still have at least some regard for my well-being. But why did you attack Mami?

Edward – She's a witch! The same being as a wraith… the enemies of us magical contractors! You have to remember!

Roy – I don't know anything about these wraiths or witches. Aren't our enemies the demons?

Edward quickly gasped in surprise as well did Roy, realizing what he just said.

Roy – That's right. I've been fighting demons all this time.

Roy then looked confused.

Roy – Then… What are these nightmares?

The sky quickly turned black and what looked like a large eye opened up in it, revealing it's pupil to look like an unnaturally designed wooden cross that looked like one that was used to hold string puppets.

Suddenly, a fire extinguisher was thrown above Roy and Edward, surprising them. Then a sword came spinning through the air towards the extinguisher, and the blade completely impaled it. The sword then struck into the ground right in front of Roy with the extinguisher still on it, causing a bunch of smoke to spread everywhere, surrounding him and Edward. A silhouette of Winry in her magical contractor clothes was then shown flying through the smoke. Roy's magic circle appeared underneath his feet and he leaped into the air with extra force onto another ledge of stone. The extra force from his jump managed to blow away the extinguisher's smoke, and he saw that both Edward and his flames were gone. He then looked down at the fire extinguisher and saw that the sword impaling it was one of Winry's and that the extinguisher's designs looked similar to her magic. Roy figured that she must have enchanted the extinguisher in order to disable his flame ring spell. However, he was more concerned about his memories.

Roy – What is the meaning of this?

Mami – I will explain it myself.

Roy then turned around in surprise and saw a girl that looked to be around Edward, Alphonse, and Winry's age, standing behind him. The girl had yellow eyes and hair that was tied into twin drills and clipped with two flower barrettes. She was wearing a brown hat with white feathers on it, a white shirt with a yellow ribbon tied at the collar along with a brown waist vest and a white ribbon tied at its base, a yellow skirt with brown edges, long brown leggings with very thin white lines, yellow and brown boots, and a yellow colored Soul Timer with it's own magic circle imprinted at the top tied to her waist.

Roy – What? Who are…?

Roy then widened his eyes in realization as he recognized the girl.

Roy – Mami?!

Mami then bowed down to Roy apologetically.

Mami – Please allow me to properly introduce myself. My real name is Mami Tomoe. I'm sorry I didn't tell you until now.

Mami then looked back up at Roy with a serious expression.

Mami – But I need you to calm down and listen to me.

Roy still looked startled and confused but he nodded to Mami, indicating that he would listen.

* * *

 **TADAAAAAA! MAMI ACTUALLY ENTERS THE STAGE!**

 **As you can see, the reason why I chose Mami to play Nagisa's role here and in my first story was because I needed someone with binding magic so the fight between Roy and Ed could happen. I also needed someone who could get really close to Roy besides Riza and I thought, when I decided to have Roy take Mami's original role I also thought that the two would get along nicely if they ever met. I hope you all like this twist, I personally also thought it was a good idea to place one of the original characters in my story but give them a different part. I hope you all like it as much as I do. I also decided to make Edward's plan to free himself from Roy's grasp to be different from Homura's because I wanted to include his armor blade as well, not just his firearms. Besides, even in my stories Edward is not completely comfortable using guns, so he would have felt better using a blade rather than a bullet anyway.(I don't mean anything creepy by that.)**

 **Now that the mystery is starting to pick up, things are starting to get even more exciting, so I hope you guys are enjoying it. Sorry that more is not posted yet, but there will be more very soon.**

 **Bye for now!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! Did you guys miss me? Admit it, you missed me.(wink)**

 **I'm just kidding. I hope none of you were waiting too long for this next chapter, but now that it is out I can guarantee that it will be worth the wait. Now just so you know, because the confrontation is between Ed and Winry this time instead of Sayaka and Homura, things are going to be a little different, but I hope you find the changes I made pleasing.**

 **Now, sit back and enjoy the show!**

* * *

Winry was soon shown leaping from building to building, holding onto Edward's hand as he followed her to wherever she was taking him. Most of the blood on his face was gone due to the wind blowing it away as he and Winry leaped through the air. She then let go of his hand as the two contractors landed in an alleyway, although Edward still looked at her in confusion.

Edward – Winry…? What are you—

Winry then put her hands behind her head and sighed.

Winry – Honestly! What were you thinking, taking on Mustang-san when he's in top form? I guess I should have know better than to think your reckless nature was finally turning around.

Edward turned his head away and looked down slightly.

Edward – I didn't intend to fight Roy Mustang. He's not the one I was after.

Winry – It was Mami, wasn't it? You attacked her just because she used to be a witch? I can't believe you jumped to conclusions so fast.

Edward then looked back at Winry with a shocked expression.

Edward – Wait… you remember everything?

Winry looked back at Edward for a moment before she looked back up at the sky.

Winry – It's my job to. But, you know… Don't you think any of this is odd? Why would a wraith or a witch bother making a labyrinth huge enough to hold a city, only to keep us here without harming us or trying to lure in more victims? Though the Dress-up Witch you remember had a bit of a similar ability, it would never have acted that peculiarly, would it?

Edward continued to stare at Winry with interest as he listened to her.

Winry – If you had stopped to think about it, you would've realized this. This labyrinth isn't a trap to lure in victims. The wraith or witch that created it simply wants to keep things as they are. In other words, who benefits from the way things are right now? If you work backwards from that, it's—

Edward then stood up and opened his armored arm's compartment, looking like he was going to stop time again, but then Winry sharply turned around and struck her sword into the compartment, which deeply shocked him.

Winry – Trying to retreat into your own little time again, Ed?

Winry grinned as she looked at Edward.

Winry – That's a bad habit of yours. You rely too much on that magic.

Edward still looked shocked and his expression held a small hint of fear in it, indicating that he knew and was afraid of what Winry was implying.

Edward – So you're saying that the person who wished for all this is one of us?

Winry – Is that really so surprising? Wasn't Mustang-san just saying earlier that this was the happiest he'd ever been? So… If this labyrinth was created by a wraith rather than a witch… Do you think its Mustang-san?

Edward – Wraiths and witches are the final forms of magical contractors. So it is a possibility.

Winry – That's just the kind of answer you would give. In that case, let me ask you one other thing, Ed. When you find the wraith or witch that created this labyrinth, what will you do with it?

Edward looked at Winry with a slightly unsure expression.

Edward – That… should be obvious.

Winry – You'll vanquish it?

Edward's eyes widened once Winry spoke.

Winry – Just because it's a wraith or a witch?

Edward – What are you trying to say?

Winry's grin disappeared and she just gave a regular smile to Edward as she took her sword out of his armored arm's compartment. She then twirled around and looked up at the sky.

Winry – Well, is this really so bad?

Winry then looked back at Edward with a hint of sympathy showing in her eyes as she continued to smile.

Winry – We don't have to fight anyone. We can all live and work together. Is the heart that wished for this so sinful that it needs to be destroyed?

Edward then widened his eyes in shock.

Edward – Winry…! Are taking the wraith or witch's side?

Winry – They are the final forms of us magical contractors, as you said. I can't help but feel a little sympathy for them.

Edward then looked down slightly so that his eyes were completely covered by his bangs.

Edward – I just remembered the most crucial part of all this.

Edward's expression turned serious as he looked back up at Winry, who stopped smiling as she stared back at him.

Edward – The creatures that Roy Mustang remembered fighting were demons, not wraiths or witches. And the reason Riza Hawkeye didn't understand the concept of labyrinths wasn't because she had forgotten about wraiths and witches, but because neither of those two had ever known about them.

Edward then turned to his left side and looked outwards.

Edward – Which is natural, since wraiths and witches no longer exist in this universe. The soul of every magical contractor is taken by The Law of the Cycle before it becomes a wraith or a witch. That was the new order he created when he remade the world, sacrificing himself in the process.

Edward then looked down with a tint of sadness in his eyes and Winry smiled as she looked at him with sympathy.

Winry – I see. So you do remember him.

Edward's eyes then narrowed again as he looked back at Winry.

Edward – That's right. But I should be the only one who remembers him.

Edward narrowed his eyes even further and turned back around to face Winry completely.

Edward – There are three people here who should not be able to exist. The first is the wraith or witch that created the labyrinth. The second is Mami, who is still in the form of a witch. And the third…

Edward appeared to hesitate at first and though his eyes were serious, they also held a bit of pain in them.

Edward – is you, someone who remembers the existence of wraiths and witches.

Winry grinned again as she kept her gaze on Edward, who then softened his gaze and looked at her with uncertainty.

Edward – Who are you? Are you really Winry Rockbell?

Neither of the two contractors said anything for a while, then Winry turned around to face the other direction.

Winry – That's kind of harsh. I'm the same Winry you've always known, Edward Chrono.

Winry then turned her head back to Edward, who saw that she had a huge menacing looking smile on her face. A large shadow of Elicia then appeared underneath Edward for a brief second, but it was long enough to let him know that just like Mami, Winry was also still a witch. He gasped in shock and quickly held out his armored arm again, but just like before, Winry jammed her sword into the compartment to keep him from stopping time. However, this time Edward lifted his armored arm up, flinging her sword out of her grasp and into the air, then he kicked her back and began to activate his time compartment. Winry looked a little fazed from being kicked back by Edward, but once she saw him get ready to stop time, she quickly reached behind her, took out her favorite wrench and threw it to her right side at a water pipe along the wall. The pipe broke once the wrench hit it and a large sprout of water shot out in front of Winry, blocking her view from Edward's sight completely.

He then stopped time, took out another semi-automatic pistol from his coat, and pointed it at the frozen sprouting water while panting from the slight shock he was given once he saw Elicia's shadow. Edward continued to point his gun at the water and saw that Elicia's reflection had appeared in it, but his eyes soon began to relax and he put away his weapon, walked towards the broken pipe, and grabbed the edge where the water was spurting from with his armored hand. Edward resumed time as he squeezed the edge of the pipe hard, closing the open gap and preventing any more water from leaking out. Winry's water cover immediately collapsed, however she was nowhere in sight.

Edward – That was a quick escape. You really have become much more well-coordinated.

Winry then appeared right behind Edward with her back against his. He seemed to notice her presence, but he didn't turn around.

Winry – I'm glad you noticed. Well? I'm still here. Aren't you going to take the shot?

Edward was silent for a moment.

Edward – Strange… This whole time, it never felt as bad to kill as long as it was a wraith or a witch. But now… For some reason, it just feels… harder. Why is it so hard now?

Edward's shoulders began shaking and his voice began to crack as well. Winry then smiled, walked over to Edward, and hugged him, causing him to look up in surprise.

Winry – It's because you're not a murderer, Ed. Your vow is that you'll never kill another person, isn't that right?

Edward widened his eyes a little and remained silent.

Winry – Then this means you still think of me as human even now. I'm happy… to know you think that.

Edward – Why did you stay?

Winry – Because I wanted to test you. But, I didn't think that you would take the shot anyway. I know you too well.

Edward's body finally relaxed as Winry continued to hug him. He then looked down and Winry's expression quickly turned serious.

Winry – Besides, you haven't answered my question yet. Would you really be okay with destroying this East City? Think long and hard before you decide. So that you won't have any regrets.

Winry then smiled again.

Winry – But, I'm sure you will make the right choice. I believe in you, Ed.

Winry kissed Edward's cheek, causing his face to turn bright red. She then released him and began to walk away.

Edward – Winry-

Edward quickly turned around but Winry had already disappeared. He frowned for a moment before he began to walk out of the alley as well, but not before taking one last look up at the sky, thinking about what Winry said to him.

* * *

Edward – (This city is a fake. An idealized world someone dreamed up.)

Two of the little boys and one of the little girls dressed in black from earlier were then shown chanting while dancing in the middle of a street while more strange anomalies were beginning to happen around the city. Meanwhile, Edward was standing on the edge of a small boat being sailed by one of the small boys, through the river by East City. As the ferry continued sailing, it passed underneath an unusual bridge that had the two blue spotted hands that normally controlled nightmares for its bases, holding each end of the thin black bridge. At the top of the bridge was an animatronic billboard of Riza sitting in the café with a bunch of pet store animals surrounding her.

 _Riza_ _– W_ _hen Mustang told me he was having trouble here, I came over to help._

A large building with a thin tunnel then rose up in front of the ferry Edward was riding on, which continued onwards as it entered the tunnel. Edward looked down, not bothering to observe his surroundings even though he was aware of them. Another one of the nightmares' spotted hands then appeared in the tunnel, holding an animatronic billboard of Roy sitting in his living room with Mami in her form as Candeloro. Roy was holding a cup of coffee in his hands while Mami was holding a cup of tea, and there were also a few large candles and flowers standing behind them.

 _Roy_ _– T_ _he way things are now is the kind of life I could only dream about in the past._

As the ferry sailed along, it came out of the narrow tunnel and into a wide underground waterway, where streams of water were flowing from above down into the river by the left side of the boat. An animatronic billboard of Winry in her magical contractor clothes, holding two of her swords while standing in the alleyway was then shown between the flowing falls of water.

 _Winry_ _–_ _Well, is this really so bad?_

Edward continued to stare downwards, narrowing his eyes, which also seemed to be filled with struggle.

Edward – (Someone here dragged everyone into this unattainable dream world, forsaking our duty to fight the demons. How could I allow such weakness?)

A vision of Edward kneeling in front of and clinging onto a sculpture of Alphonse's god from, carved into a stonewall was shown. Five of the little boys and five of the little girls, counting ten in total, all dressed in black clothing were shown standing behind Edward, eating apples since they did seem to have mouths this time. Since they were shown more closely, every one of the boys and girls each appeared to look like young versions of Edward, Alphonse, and Winry, each with different hairstyles and lengths. Edward was then shown up close, clinging to the carving of Alphonse, though his eyes were completely covered by his bangs and there was a dark shadow hanging over his eyes, indicating that he was grieving.

Edward – (Magical contractors must forever continue to fight. That was the price we paid for our miracles. It's because our fate is what it is that he gave up everything to save us.)

A row of fire then appeared, burning behind Edward as he continued to cling to the caving, symbolizing his anger.

Edward – (This ridiculous farce just makes Al's sacrifice for us go to waste. Unforgivable!)

Each of the small boys and girls threw their apples into the fire and then quickly ran away. Edward was then shown back on the ferry, coming up to a much more normal looking bridge. Suddenly, Alphonse came running across the bridge with Kyubey running on the railing behind him. He stopped in the middle of the bridge and smiled happily once he looked down and saw Edward.

Alphonse – Nii-san!

Edward looked up in slight surprise and saw Alphonse, then he quickly wiped away the remaining blood that was still on his face before his brother could see it. After glancing back up, Edward's expression instantly turned to one of slight shock as he watched Alphonse climb on the railing of the bridge, preparing to jump down onto the ferry.

Edward – Wai-wait a minute, Al! Idiot! Don't jump!

Alphonse then jumped with Kyubey on his shoulder and landed right in front of Edward, however the shift in weight caused both of them to lose their balance and fall down. Alphonse was then shown lying on top of Edward in the middle of the boat; both of their eyes were spinning from the harsh landing.

Edward – That's why I told you not to jump…

Alphonse – I'm sorry…

Edward and Alphonse snapped out of it and rose up from the floor, through they were still on their knees. Alphonse then looked at Edward concernedly, and he just stared at his brother in surprise.

Alphonse – But, thank goodness! I've been looking for you. Mustang-san's been really worried. What happened?

Edward then looked over to his left side with unsure and slightly sad eyes, which Alphonse noticed.

Edward – I…

* * *

The two brothers and Kyubey were then shown walking through the park, passing by the fountain with Alphonse leading up front and Edward following behind, staring at the ground unhappily.

Alphonse – Nii-san, you shouldn't go off by yourself like that.

Edward remained silent as they kept walking.

Alphonse – If you want, you can tell me what's wrong.

Edward still didn't say anything. The two brothers then found themselves at the hill filled with flowers, which they were sitting together at before.

Alphonse – I don't know if I will be able to do anything to help you, but it's better than having to worry about everything on your own.

Edward finally looked up at Alphonse as he kept walking, seeing the gentle and warm smile on his brother's face.

Alphonse – It really hurts me to see you suffering so much and not be able to do anything about it, Nii-san. So, talk to me.

Edward finally stopped walking and Alphonse looked at him curiously.

Edward – Actually, I had a really bad dream.

Alphonse – A dream?

Edward – Yeah.

Alphonse – What was it about?

Edward hesitated for a moment, then he looked back down at the ground again.

Edward – I dreamt you had gone to a place so far away that I could never see you again. And everyone else in the world forgot all about you… even Mom and Dad.

Alphonse looked at Edward sympathetically as he heard his voice crack while he spoke. Edward then ran out onto the field of flowers as tears began to well up in his eyes.

Edward – And yet… I was the only one who could remember you in the whole wide world, Al!

As Edward ran, the wind began to loosen his braid and then he fell down onto his knees and cried while staring at the ground.

Edward – I was lying to myself. The truth is… I was so lonely and sad, but no one could understand how I felt.

As the wind continued to blow, Edward's braid finally came undone, letting his long golden hair fall over his head as he continued to cry.

Edward – And then, I started thinking my memories of you were things I had just made up. And I began doubting myself.

Alphonse then walked over to Edward and put his hands gently on his older brother's shoulders, surprising him.

Alphonse – That does sound like a terrible dream, Nii-san. If I had a dream like that about you… I don't think I could stand it.

Edward rose up his head and looked at Alphonse with tears still in his eyes.

Alphonse – But it's okay now. Because I'd never go away to a place like that, not on my own.

More tears threatened to spill from Edward's eyes as he looked at Alphonse.

Edward – Why? How can you be so sure? How can you say that something like that would never happen to you when the two of us were already separated for four years when Mom and Dad got divorced?!

Alphonse continued to smile and then he pulled his brother into a warm and gentle hug.

Alphonse – Because, we're both here now, aren't we? Besides, you know how I am, Nii-san. I could never bear to do something that would make someone as strong as you cry like this.

Edward widened his eyes as he let Alphonse's words sink through to him.

Edward – You mean that it would hurt too much for you to bear?

Alphonse – Of course. You, Winry, Mustang-san, Hawkeye-san, Mom and Dad and Sensei, and even May and everyone in our class…

As Alphonse spoke, he began to re-braid Edward's hair.

Alphonse – I would never want to go somewhere where I'd never see them again. Even if there were no other choice, I don't think I'd ever have the courage to do that. Believe in me, Nii-san.

Edward widened his eyes even more in shock and realization and remembered a conversation he had with Alphonse in the last timeline he went through.

 _Edward – Alphonse Elric. Do you treasure the life you currently live? Do you consider your family and friends precious?_

 _Alphonse – What? __Yes, I do. Both my family and my friends are very precious to me. I love them all very much!_

 _Edward – Do you really?_

 _Alphonse – Of course I do! I couldn't lie about that!_

More tears then started streaming down Edward's face as he looked up at the sky.

Edward – That's right… You're right. (Those are your honest feelings. And yet, I… How could I have made such a stupid mistake?)

A wave of darkness began to slowly spread across the entire field of flowers from where Edward was kneeling. The dark wave turned all the white flowers surrounding the two brothers to a dark golden color and soon it turned every different colored flower in the field dark golden as well.

Edward – (I shouldn't have allowed that to happen. No matter what it took, I should've tried harder to stop you back then.)

Edward then wrapped his arms around Alphonse, hugging him back. Alphonse finally finished braiding Edward's hair and tying it back up.

Edward – Al.

Alphonse glanced at Edward curiously.

Edward – You should know that you do have the courage to make hard decisions, even when you know how much they'll hurt you.

All the dark golden petals on each of the flowers in the field then wilted and fell off their stems. The inside of the flowers that were still left on the stems then began glowing and soon floated off into the air.

Edward – When you learn there is something that only you can do, you're far kinder and stronger than you even know yourself. That's the kind of person you are, Al.

Edward began to smile as he continued to hug Alphonse.

Edward – Trust me. I know that firsthand.

Alphonse glanced at Edward a bit confusedly.

Alphonse – Nii-san?

Edward then finally pulled away from Alphonse and looked down at the ground again while keeping his hands on his younger brother's shoulders.

Edward – That's right. You probably don't remember anything either. I thought that maybe you were just an illusion or a false copy created by someone. After all, how else could we meet like this again? It's not possible, no matter how I look at it.

Alphonse continued to stare at Edward confusedly, feeling a little uneasy about what he was implying. But then that uneasiness went away once he saw his older brother look up at him again with a genuine smile on his face.

Edward – But I can tell. You are the real Al. Being able to talk to you like this and feel your kindness one more time… makes me so happy. Thank you, Al. You've given me far more happiness than I could ever hope for.

All the specks of light finally floated away, and Edward then stood up, still smiling down at Alphonse.

Edward – I need to go now.

Alphonse – What?

Edward – There's something I still need to do.

Alphonse – But, Nii-san…

Edward smiled down at Alphonse one last time before he ran off again. Alphonse stood up and watched his brother leave until he was out of sight. Kyubey then ran over to Alphonse's side.

Alphonse – What's gotten into you, Nii-san?

Kyubey made another "kyuu" sound as he looked in the same direction Alphonse was looking.

* * *

 **That's all for now. Please don't kill me for leaving it like this.**

 **I hope you all liked the changes I made and I hope I made the scene between Edward and Alphonse emotional enough. I also hope you guys thought this was very sweet because the next chapter is when things begin to go downhill. "Why?" You ask? Oh that's because...**

 **Hey! Wait a minute! I'm not supposed to give spoilers! How dare you almost make me squeal! If you want to know what happens next, please wait patiently and the next chapter will be up before you can cay supercalafragolisticexpialidocious.**

 **Please review, comment, or leave suggestions. Thank you and see you in the next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone! Here I am, and here it IS!**

 **I hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long, but I'm sure what is going to come in this chapter will put all your minds at ease; unless they blow up due to massive shock, excitement, and most importantly… FEELS! At least, I hope I will be able to give you guys enough feels, because if there is not enough feels, THEN I MUST BE EXECUTED BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE A DISGRACE!**

 **Don't worry, I didn't mean that. But seriously, I hope I am able to give you guys enough feels. DON'T MESS AROUND WITH ME BY PRETENDING! I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FEELS!**

* * *

Meanwhile, at the animal shelter, Riza was shown getting ready to leave, when her cell phone began to ring. She took it out and saw that Edward was calling her, so she went outside to make sure no one would hear their conversation.

Riza – Hello? Edward-kun?

 **Edward** **– Hawkeye, there's something I need to ask you.**

Riza – What is it?

 **Edward** **– Do you remember the wraiths and witches?**

Three more of the small children that looked like Edward, Alphonse, and Winry were shown running around on the street. Another one of the blue spotted hands that normally controlled nightmares was also shown placing a bunch of black wooden doll puppets on the street in front of Riza. The wooden puppets had white faces that looked just like the faces of the little boys and girls, however they didn't run around and play like they did, instead they just stood where they were, smiling as if they were guarding something. Riza didn't pay any attention to her strange surroundings however, taking Edward's advice from before.

Riza – Is this another thing that I'm supposed to remember?

 **Edward** **– No. It's correct that you don't remember.**

Riza then looked a little startled and confused.

Riza – What? Edward-kun, I said I would trust you, but I've been concerned about the incident from before this whole time, so I'm not in the mood for any jokes right now…!

 **Edward** **– Now, what about Alphonse Elric?**

Riza then looked even more confused.

Riza – Alphonse-kun?

 **Edward** **– Do you remember him?**

Riza narrowed her eyes impatiently.

Riza – Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?

Riza then gasped and widened her eyes in realization.

Riza – Wait, do you mean—

Edward was then shown walking towards the bus station while talking to Riza on his cell phone.

Edward – Yeah. You shouldn't know him. Those memories are false.

Riza – No way… Are you serious?

Edward's bangs were covering his eyes as he looked down at the ground and gripped his forehead with his left hand.

Edward – If I had stopped and thought about it, it would have been obvious. For someone to fabricate a world where Alphonse exists, they would first have to know about Alphonse.

A bus was then shown pulling into the station where Edward was waiting.

Edward – Now I understand. I know who rewrote our memories…

Edward walked over to a small table sitting by the station and put his now open Soul Timer on it. Then he walked over to the bus as it stopped in front of the station and he began to get on it.

Edward – and locked us in this false East City.

 **Riza** **– Edward-kun!**

Riza was then shown running through town with a worried expression on her face.

Riza – Are you all right?! Where are you right now?!

Riza then quickly halted to a stop once a bunch of wind blew in her face and she looked up to see a bunch of large stone hand structures that were set on fire, rising from the ground, making her gasp in shock and horror. Back with Edward, the bus began to get ready to leave as he went up to the top seats.

Edward – There's just one last thing I want to confirm. Then, I will put an end to everything. And I won't trouble you or the others again.

 **Riza** **– Wait!**

Edward then reached the top of the bus and looked down at the ground sadly.

Edward – I'm sorry for getting you involved in this.

Before Riza could say anything else, Edward hung up and dropped his phone off the bus. A bunch of clocks then appeared on all of the seats around him and the bus began to drive away.

Edward – (The maximum distance that my body can still move after separating from my Soul Timer should be around 100 meters.)

Edward began to walk towards the edge of the front of the bus, but then his body seemed to slow down just a little. One of the clocks sitting on the chairs behind him was then shown up close, revealing that the big hand and the little hand were close to ticking to midnight. Edward glanced back at East City as the bus drove further away and then he began to walk back towards the back end of the bus, however he took slow and small steps as he felt his body begin to wobble. He then grabbed the handles by the edge of the bus and looked down at his right hand as he gripped it into a fist for just a short moment. Then he saw a bunch of colored spots appear on his hand, the same colored spots that appeared on the blue hands that controlled nightmares. Edward stared at his hand for a while before he looked up and widened his eyes as he looked back towards East City, which was now completely out of sight. He then looked back down at the ground as a bunch of crows began to land by him and on the clocks, which began to chime as the two handles finally struck midnight.

Edward continued to look down, his eyes filled with sadness and struggle as he gripped the handles of the bus even harder. The inside of the bus then seemed to set itself on fire and flames quickly burst through the windows, but it kept driving and Edward didn't move a muscle. The large flaming stone hands from earlier were shown again, rising up from East City and then slamming down onto many different areas, destroying and setting everything they crushed on fire, such as the school, the café, and the alleyway. The bus continued driving, however even though the city was now completely set on fire, a bunch of large random and different colored household objects began rising out of the ground everywhere. The bus then gave off the "Next Stop" signal.

Recorded voice – The next stop is East City, Second Street. Please use this stop for East City Municipal Elementary School. Stop requested.

The large bridge in the middle of East City then began to rise up and grow even taller. Back at the station where Edward left his Soul Timer, the bus suddenly dropped nose down into the road, causing it to quickly explode and burst into flames. Edward was then shown sitting up from the ground in front of the station, however he was on his knees and looking down; his eyes were completely covered by his bangs again.

Edward – So this means… I'm not even a magical contractor anymore?

Edward's open Soul Timer was shown again and black handprints with murky colored spots began appearing on the golden inside of the watch. Edward then took out a caliber handgun and aimed it at his Soul Timer without looking up from the ground, not caring where the gun came from. He shot at the watch a few times and shattered it completely, however nothing appeared to happen to him, indicating that that Soul Timer was also a fake. All fourteen of the different boys and girls that looked like younger versions of Edward, Alphonse, and Winry dressed in black clothes were then shown standing all around Edward. As they stood around him, it seemed as though an outer layer of their appearances melted away and all the boys and girls were revealed to not actually be children at all, they were familiars that looked like human dolls. The doll familiars' new appearances were practically the same as before except for now they had even wider, menacing looking smiles and wide blue colored swirled eyes. Edward then slowly looked up at the sky, revealing his expression to be filled with sadness and horror.

Edward – How…? How did this happen to me…?

The fire around East City continued to burn as the bridge rose even higher.

Edward – When did it even happen?! When did I become a wraith?!

A bunch of layers of stone that resembled the Roman Coliseum then rose up around Edward and all the children doll familiars that looked like him, Alphonse and Winry. All the layers of stone seemed to create some kind of cocoon dome centered in the middle of the bridge, which had risen high above the entire city.

* * *

On the inside of the dome, the children doll familiars were shown standing around together and then they began walking down a hallway that had two rows of the black wooden puppets from before. The wooden puppets however now had golden spit curls on their heads, were wearing red coats that looked a lot like Edward's magical contractor coat, and were each holding long black spears, making them look like guards. Due to their new appearance, the wooden puppet guards were also revealed to be familiars. Kyubey was then shown walking down the hallway, passing by the puppet guard familiars and heading in the opposite direction of the children doll familiars.

Kyubey – I'm sure you didn't really want to know the truth.

Kyubey appeared to be heading towards a large cupboard cabinet, which seemed to have a bunch of different rooms replacing where the drawers normally would be. The center top shelf had a room that was much bigger than all the other rooms and it had two large red balls of yarn in it, a bunch of nightmare dolls resting on the floor, the stone carving of Alphonse's god form on the walls, and a big bed with shining colors glowing on the white sheets. Something or someone then rose up from underneath the sheets.

Kyubey – And yet, you couldn't bear not knowing it. It just goes to show how illogical human curiosity is.

Kyubey finally reached the front of the large cabinet and looked up, to see that the lump underneath the sheets was in fact Edward, who didn't seem surprised as he looked over to his left side to see the small creature.

Kyubey – Well, considering that is was you, I did think that you would find the answer eventually, Edward Elric.

Kyubey then jumped up onto a few platforms of stone to get closer to Edward, who glared at the white creature as he stood up and the bed sheet wrapped around him blew off. He was then shown to be wearing similar clothes to the ones he wore when he was with Alphonse during the reformation of the universe, except for these clothes were black instead of white.

Edward – Incubator… Just as I thought. Ultimately, this was all your doing, wasn't it?

Kyubey was then shown walking along one row of the coliseum-like walls.

Kyubey – The only questions that remain are the current location of your body and soul, correct?

The incubator then sat down in front of one window and looked out to the horizon.

Kyubey – I suppose I could provide those answers for you.

Kyubey turned his head around and looked straight at Edward, who stared ahead into the incubator's eyes as he began to see some kind of vision. At first Edward saw something that looked like a hallway of red colored magic cubes, then the vision showed his body lying down on some kind of platform bed, asleep, in his magical contractor clothes, and holding his bow and Whiskers in his hands close to his chest. Edward's armored arm was also gone and replaced by another white glove that matched the one on his left hand.

Kyubey – This is outside the false East City. This is the real you, out in the real world.

Edward's eyes widened in shock and horror as he stared at the sight before him. His body was trapped inside some kind of chamber, his Soul Timer was being held above his head in a purple colored magic cube barrier, and a bunch of incubators were sitting on a bunch of platforms surrounding the chamber, watching his body and Soul Timer.

Edward – How could that be?!

Kyubey – The Isolation Field we invented is completely enveloping your Soul Timer. We wanted to take a Soul Timer that was already pushed to its limit, place it in an environment that was isolated from all external influence, and see what would happen.

The vision showed Edward's Soul Timer trapped inside the purple isolation field up at a closer range. Then it showed that the chamber holding Edward's body was being held in a large building standing in the middle of a large desert, surrounded by millions of incubators. Back in the false East City, Edward narrowed his eyes again as he began to understand the situation.

Edward – An experiment?

A vision was then shown of a bunch of Soul Timers that were being cleaned from their black impurities and then disappearing. However when Edward's Soul Timer came into view, instead of disappearing, it was placed inside the incubators isolation field instead.

Kyubey – Yes, to study the mysterious power that cleanses magical contractors and makes them disappear. We wanted to know what would happen to a Soul Timer when it was cut off from the phenomenon that you magical contractors call the "Law of the Cycle." You showed us some very interesting results. The formation of a closed space through unusual means into which victims are collected and imprisoned—

The Kyubey inside the fake East City then stretched and looked over at Edward again, who continued to stare at him with narrowed eyes.

Kyubey – isn't this the power of these "wraiths" and "witches" you once explained to us?

Many of the puppet guard familiars were shown standing in single file lines in every one of the other rooms in the large cupboard cabinet. Some of the children doll familiars went to a few of the rooms and began to walk and stand by the puppet guard familiars inside. A few other children doll familiars were then shown coming beside Edward as he gripped his hands into tight fists while glaring at Kyubey.

Kyubey – But since your Soul Timer is preserved by the Isolation Field and remains intact, you have not yet completed your transformation into a wraith. You're like a chick that, unable to break the shell of it's egg, grew up within it. That is why you ended up creating a labyrinth within you.

Edward's Soul Timer was shown completely up close inside the isolation field. Along with the magic cube barrier on the outside, the completely colored golden watch seemed to be resting within a large dining glass filled halfway with water. It was also bolted into thin circular shields of metal, which put cracks and chips in the watch, but it appeared as though those bolts were helping keep the Soul Timer's corruption rate under control. The counting needle was already pointing straight at zero, however the black corruption on the inside of the watch was dim and wavy, which allowed a bit of the Soul Timer's natural golden color to show through. A vision of the false East city was then shown, being built and put together by the blue hands with colored spots and the children doll familiars, who were carrying furniture into Edward and Alphonse's house. The wavy black impurities that filled up Edward's Soul Timer were also shown all around the fake East City as it was being built.

Kyubey – We were quite surprised that you were able to recreate an entire city within it.

Back inside the false East City, Kyubey once again looked outside the window towards the burning town.

Kyubey – You see, this place is the world inside your Soul Timer.

Kyubey then turned his gaze back to Edward, who was now looking down at the ground with his bangs covering his eyes.

Edward – Something's off about your theory.

Edward then narrowed his eyes and looked up at Kyubey again.

Edward – If it is isolated from the outside world, then it should be impossible for people to wander into this labyrinth.

Kyubey – That was thanks to a little adjustment we made.

All the incubators in the real world answered at the same time as the Kyubey in the false East City did. A vision was then shown of small silhouettes of Edward's puppet guard familiars marching outside the isolation field, while a bunch of small silhouettes of angels that looked like Alphonse were trying to get inside the field but couldn't.

Kyubey – The field's isolation force only works in one direction. Though it repels any interference from outside, we can still allow victims to pass through the field by means of an "invitation" from inside.

The incubators that were observing Edward's Soul Timer were shown watching some of his wraith magic easily pass through the isolation field and escape to the outside. Another vision was then shown of Edward's children doll familiars wandering through the real East City, seeking out certain people like Roy, Riza, May, Trisha, Hohenheim, and Izumi.

Kyubey – As a wraith, you let the targets you unconsciously chose come inside this closed world. Even under these limited conditions, if the existence known as the "Law of the Cycle" still tried to reach Edward Elric, the only way for that existence to enter would be to rematerialize in this world in the form of a "victim" that you'd invite in.

Some memories of Alphonse when he was spending time with Roy and Mami, then with Riza and Winry were shown. Kyubey was then shown climbing up onto higher rows of the coliseum walls.

Kyubey – And then, we Incubators would finally be able to identify and observe the still-unknown karmic force that makes magical contractors vanish.

Roy, Riza, and Alphonse were then shown talking with Winry and Mami, who was in her form as Candeloro sitting on top of Winry's head. It appeared as though Winry and Mami were telling the others something that they already knew since they both looked very serious, while the others looked shocked, especially Alphonse.

Kyubey – There are several characters currently within your labyrinth that don't exist in the real world, and yet somehow participate in a strange way. The most interesting of these is a certain boy who is not recorded in any past memory and doesn't seem to be a future possibility either.

Another vision was then shown of Edward's children doll familiars leading all of the "invited" victims through the isolation field and into the labyrinth.

Kyubey – Even though he doesn't exist within the karmic cycles of our universe, he was able to slip into your world without causing the least disturbance. So it seems there was actually never any need for us to go searching. You yourself saved us that trouble, Edward Elric.

Kyubey was still climbing up the walls but he stopped for a brief moment to look back down at Edward, who was glancing down at the floor with his eyes completely covered by his bangs as a dark shadow was hanging over his eyes once again.

Kyubey – You have been referring to the "Law of the Cycle" by the name "Alphonse Elric."

Edward – Then it really is him?

Kyubey finally reached the top layer of the coliseum dome and stared up at the moon, showing through the top opening.

Kyubey – The one disappointment was that Alphonse Elric never displayed any signs of unusual power. It seems the memory rewriting conducted by you, the master of the labyrinth, affected him as well. He not only forgot that he had come to save you, but also lost track of his true identity and power. As a result, we couldn't do anything to him.

* * *

The fire around the fake East City finally began to dim and the night sky's colors began to change from black to a bunch of dark murky colors. Then, more of Edward's children doll familiars and puppet guard familiars began to march into the coliseum dome.

 **"** **Woi ist eine lange nadel?"**

 **"** **Woi ist eine kurze nadel?"**

 **"** **Auf Widersehen des noch sind da"**

 **"** **Where is the longer needle?"**

 **"** **Where is the shorter needle?"**

 **"** **A reunion that is missing cannot happen"**

Kyubey – Alphonse Elric forgot he was a god, and Edward Elric forgot he was a wraith.

 **"** **Na, schwester, genau geschlossen"**

 **"** **Geschlossen gerade heute sich"**

 **"** **Well, sister, that door is shut"**

 **"** **It's shut today"**

Kyubey – Thanks to that, we ended up coming along on this grand, pointless escapade.

 **"** **Noi! Zu erste nahe ist zwar"**

 **"** **Noi! Nie sieht zweitens statt eine ferne"**

 **"** **We! Closing that door first"**

 **"** **We! Then going towards the distance"**

All the puppet guard familiars began lining up in an orderly fashion all around the inside of the dome as they kept coming in.

Kyubey – We had intended to wait patiently and observe, but since you went and discovered the truth, the delicate balance of this world has begun to crumble.

 **"** **Noi! Noi! Fahre! Noi! Noi! Noi! Springe!"**

 **"** **Nicht voraus mal entsprechen!"**

 **"** **We! We! Go! We! We! Jump!"**

 **"** **Not looking back, only toward the distance!"**

More flaming stone hands were still rising up from the fake East City and slowly smashing down onto any other buildings that hadn't already been damaged. Kyubey was then shown looking back down at Edward as more puppet guard familiars began marching along the layers of the coliseum wall.

Kyubey – Now then, Edward Elric. Reach out to Alphonse for help. That will make him remember who he really is and what he came here to do.

 **"** **Noi! Noi! Fahre! Noi! Nein! Noi! Springe!"**

 **"** **Noi! Noi! Fahre! Noi! Nein! Noi! Springe!"**

 **"** **Nah…"**

 **"** **We! We! Go! We! No! We! Jump!"**

 **"** **We! We! Go! We! No! We! Jump!"**

 **"** **Nah…"**

Edward was shown staring straight ahead with a blank expression. A bunch of his children doll familiars then appeared at both of his sides, with staffs in their hands.

Edward – Incubator, what is your real goal?

All the children doll familiars around Edward then began slamming their staffs into the ground over and over again, causing the glass around the cupboard cabinet he was standing in to crack.

Kyubey – As you might expect, to confirm the existence of the "Law of the Cycle," which has been a mere hypothesis until now.

As the children doll familiars continued slamming their staffs down repeatedly, the puppet guard familiars that were standing within all the other rooms within the large cupboard cabinet began slamming their spears down repeatedly as well, cracking all the glass around the cabinet even more.

Edward – For what purpose? You said yourself that acting only out of curiosity is illogical. I won't believe that you went to such lengths just to confirm that Alphonse exists.

Kyubey didn't say anything and just looked back up at the moon. Edward's eyes widened in absolute shock and realization as a gust of wind began to swirl around his feet, indicating that a bunch of power was building up around him.

Edward – You intend… TO CONTROL ALPHONSE, DON'T YOU?!

Edward's expression filled with maximum rage and his eyes looked as if they were intent to kill. He quickly rose up his right hand and gripped it, causing a massive range of power to burst from him, completely destroying the top of the large cabinet where he stood. All the children doll familiars that stood beside him threw their staffs at Kyubey, destroying most of the top layer of the coliseum dome where he sat. The incubator was then shown falling towards the ground, tumbling through the large cloud of dust that was left as a result of the destruction and avoiding the remaining boulders that fell down after him. He landed on a lower layer of the coliseum walls and began to run away as the children doll familiars started chasing after him.

Kyubey – I won't deny that that was the end goal we had in mind, though it would have been a long and difficult endeavor. After all, this phenomenon has always been a complete mystery to us.

Kyubey began walking down the walls as more rubble began to fall from the top of the dome, but then he looked behind him to see that some of the children doll familiars were hiding behind the wall he was climbing down, which they quickly destroyed as well. The incubator was then shown once again falling down to the ground, with a few children doll familiars falling down after him.

Kyubey – We can't interfere with something if we can't confirm it exists.

Red lines with small circles on them, seeming to represent arrays of power, were streaming from Edward where he stood as he continued to glare at Kyubey with hatred. A few children doll familiars were still standing by his side as his power continued to grow.

Edward – But I'm sure that wouldn't be enough to stop you.

Kyubey – That's correct.

Kyubey was then shown running down more pillars of stone as the children doll familiars continued to chase him.

Kyubey – Once we could observe the phenomenon, we'd be able to interfere with it. And once we could interfere with it, we'd be able to control it.

Kyubey finally got caught in another explosion, but then Edward immediately detected another one of the incubator's bodies, sitting on another layer of the coliseum walls. Kyubey began to run again once he saw that a few children doll familiars had already caught up to him.

Kyubey – With enough research, we would one day have full control over the "Law of the Cycle." And then, we could have magical contractors turn into wraiths and witches and collect vast amounts of energy all at once.

Kyubey was now sitting on a pillar of stone near the ground, staring at Edward, who then pointed at the incubator, commanding more of his children doll familiars to attack him.

Kyubey – The phase change between hope and despair is key. The volume of energy generated by those emotions is far beyond anything we had imagined.

A bunch of Edward's children doll familiars quickly appeared behind Kyubey and knocked him to the floor. Then they pinned their staffs into the ground around the incubator, trapping him.

Kyubey – Truly, magical contractors hold the key to limitless possibilities. You magical contractors should all fulfill your purpose by transforming into wraiths and witches!

Edward widened his eyes in rage again just as another surge of power burst from him, destroying everything that was once around him except for what was left of the large cupboard cabinet, where he was still standing. Kyubey was then shown standing on one of the chunks of rock that were flying in the air as a result of the explosion.

Kyubey – Why are you angry? This no longer has anything to do with you. Your existence as Edward Elric has reached its completion.

Most of Edward's children doll familiars were shown dancing on the ground as the chunks of rock fell to the floor.

Kyubey – At the end of the long, arduous path carved by your fate, you've fulfilled your promise to meet the one for whom you've waited all this time.

Kyubey jumped off of his rock just before it crashed to the ground along with all the other rock chunks and he safely landed on the remaining rubble.

Kyubey – Shouldn't that bring you joy?

Edward was then shown looking up at the sky with a blank expression.

Edward – No.

The arrays of power streaming from Edward spread even further around the dome and his expression began to fill with despair as his golden eyes changed to look like two completely blood red moons. The same arrays of magic then began to flow from Edward's eyes and down his face, almost resembling tears.

Edward – This is not the joy… _that I wished for._

All the arrays of Edward's power came together, formed into a blackish/red substance, and shot into the sky. A massive amount of the blackish/red liquid then came pouring down to the ground, beginning to flood the entire coliseum dome. Kyubey was shown sitting on a random household object that still hadn't been destroyed, which began to float on the strange substance, flooding at an alarmingly fast rate.

Kyubey – Are you serious? You're raising a curse yourself? What are you thinking? If you do, you won't be purified in time!

It seemed that the blackish red substance was a mixture of the red arrays of Edward's power and the black impurities that polluted his Soul Timer. Edward was then shown leaning forward with his eyes closed and his expression continuing to fill with despair as he sent more surges of power upwards above himself.

More burning hands were shown continuing to rise and smash the fake East City as the dome continued to flood, however none of the substance was flowing out of any of the windows in the coliseum walls. The isolation field holding Edward's Soul Timer was then shown, beginning to turn from its clear purple color to a mixture of different kinds of dark and murky colors as the purification process began to fail. Back in the fake East City, the tainted liquid had already filled up half of the entire coliseum dome and a bunch of other household objects were shown floating around in it.

Edward – This version of you wouldn't know, but I became a magical contractor for one sole reason and purpose: To save Alphonse.

More impurities then began to leak from the moon and drip into the coliseum dome. The large drops of the tainted substance took the shape of Edward in his magical contractor clothes as they dripped down towards the large sea of impurities.

Edward – And that remains true even now!

Kyubey quickly ran over onto another household object that was floating nearby him just before one of the Edward-shaped impurities splattered on top of him. A bunch of white silhouettes of Edward in his magical contractor clothes were then shown rising out of the tainted substance and then looking up at the sky. A bunch of the Edward-shaped impurities however, began landing on and destroying each and every one of the white silhouettes.

Edward – If the alternative is revealing any more of Alphonse's secret to you, then I'd rather turn myself into a wraith! I'll never let you Incubators touch my little brother ever again!

Kyubey was shown running across a bunch of floating household objects, avoiding more Edward-shaped impurities.

Kyubey – Would you give up your only chance of salvation just for that?

One Edward-shaped impurity finally splattered on top of Kyubey. A bunch more Edward-shaped impurities then fell on top of the incubator as well, now that he could no longer move. Kyubey managed to look up from where he was lying, covered in the tainted substance.

Kyubey – Do you mean to spend the rest of eternity with only curses for company?

More white silhouettes were then shown rising out of the tainted substance, only to quickly be destroyed by the Edward-shaped impurities continuing to rain down.

Edward – I'm not worried about that. I'm certain that this labyrinth will be my grave.

A vision was then shown of Edward in a guillotine, as if he was about to be executed.

Edward – Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye are both here. I believe in them.

Roy and Riza were shown standing on both sides of the guillotine, dressed in their magical contractor clothes. The guillotine's blade then dropped. Once the vision ended, more Edward-shaped impurities were shown continuing to rain down and destroy each and every one of the white silhouettes.

Kyubey – That's ridiculous. Do you understand what it would mean for you to die within the Isolation Field?

The isolation field was shown once again; it was now colored completely with multiple dark and murky colors mixed with black streaks.

Kyubey – Unable to break the shell, you'll end up as a fully-born wraith trapped inside an egg. You'll be destroyed without being found by the Law of the Cycle. No one will ever be able to save your soul from despair. You'll lose your chance to see Alphonse Elric again, forever.

A very large amount of the tainted substance flooding the ground then rose up and formed into a giant silhouette of Edward. The giant form of him began staring down at Kyubey with burning red eyes that had the same designs as his children doll familiars.

Edward – _SHUT THE HECK UP!_

The tainted substance making up the giant form of Edward quickly burst and splattered upwards, leaving a giant light beige colored doll in its place, which then sunk back down into the floor. Five of Edward's children doll familiars then appeared by Kyubey and quickly summoned their staffs from the ground underneath him, impaling the incubator completely. The familiars quickly began flying around in circles, entangling and knotting up Kyubey's body, eventually destroying it completely except for the head. The power surging through the familiars' staffs then clashed together, forming a ball of back energy, which then exploded and destroyed another part of the coliseum wall. The children doll familiars were then shown hitting Kyubey's head with their staffs as if it were a baseball while another one of his bodies appeared, watching the familiars from within the bottom row of the coliseum walls.

Kyubey – Wouldn't that be the worst possible outcome for you?

Kyubey was then once again impaled by the children doll familiars and was destroyed the same way his previous body was before. His next body then appeared a few feet away from his previous one.

Kyubey – Honestly, why is human thought so incomprehensibly illogical?

One of the children doll familiars then snuck up behind Kyubey and picked him up by his tail, gazing at him normally at first. Then a few swirls of red color mixed in with the familiar's blue eyes and it grinned evilly at Kyubey with monstrous teeth. After seeming to be destroyed again, Kyubey was shown running down the walls outside the coliseum dome just as two more familiars flew behind him, impaled him with their staffs, and destroyed him again, causing another explosion. One more of his bodies then appeared and continued to run down the coliseum dome, which he quickly leapt off of once he finally got to the bottom edge of the stone cocoon. Back inside the dome, a small white table rose up from the tainted substance flooding the ground and then a bit of the substance began rising up on the table, starting to take form.

* * *

Another vision was then shown; Edward opened his eyes abruptly in shock and horror, noticing that he was sitting on a white chair in the middle of a large field of grass and flowers. Alphonse was sitting next to him on another white chair, which he then stood up on. Edward looked up at his little brother with wide and curious eyes, noticing that he was smiling and spreading both of his arms out to his sides.

Edward – Al?

After a moment, a large grey eye opened up in the ground underneath Alphonse. A bunch of long black arms then appeared out of the eye, reached upwards, and began to entangle him. Edward gasped in shock and quickly stood up, but then another eye opened up in the ground underneath him, resulting in more long black arms appearing out of it and entangling him as well. The black arms binding Edward then began to drag him away from Alphonse. However, Edward struggled as hard as he could against the black arms and eventually broke free from their grasp. He then leapt forward and tried to reach his little brother as quickly as he could with a look of horror on his face. However, Alphonse's body was then shown beginning to deconstruct into a bunch of little squares as if he was being broken down. Just before Edward could finally reach Alphonse, his body finished deconstructing and quickly disappeared along with the black hands and the eye in the ground.

Edward fell to his knees and stared at the white chair Alphonse was recently standing on in absolute horror, realizing that he was too late to save him. A bunch of tall beige colored dolls that had golden colored braids and spite curls, black spotted eyes and no mouths, and were wearing the same clothing as Edward, were also shown surrounding and staring down at him. Suddenly, a large right fist smashed down on Edward and the tall dolls surrounding him. The fist was then revealed to belong to a much larger Edward, who continued to pound on the ground in frustration and despair.

Edward – Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

The vision ended with Edward crying as he stayed on the ground. A large light beige puppet that didn't have any hair except for a golden colored braid and spite curl, was wearing a large red coat designed with infinity symbols that were glowing and moving, and had a working clockwork mechanism functioning on the inside of the coat, was then shown. The large puppet slowly gripped its right hand into a fist, much like how Edward usually did.

Edward – _So this is what it means to be a wraith. My emotions have all come back to haunt me._

Edward's voice sounded so lost and broken, and it was also coming from the puppet creature, which must have meant that it was his wraith form. The puppet wraith then looked up at the sky and quickly sunk back down into the table. He then reemerged from the tainted substance flooding the ground, with his hands now chained in wooden cuffs, and he looked much bigger than he was before. The two familiar blue hands with colored spots were then shown above the puppet wraith. Each of the hands' fingers had the ends of red strings tied to them, while the other ends were attached to Edward's wraith, indicating that the hands were originally a part of him the entire time. Back outside, the top of the coliseum dome began releasing a large amount of power and the tainted substance began pouring out the bottom of it.

Edward – _I can't remember anything except glimmers of light and regret._

Just before the substance reached the ground, it began changing into a million stuffed cat familiars, which began running all around the fake East City. A bunch of puppet guard familiars then stood up in their single file lines and prepared to march as Edward's wraith broke through the coliseum dome and looked up at the sky again as two large wings made out of wax emerged from his back.

Edward – _I see, so this is my… despair._

Some kind of blackish/golden tainted colored silhouette shaped like Edward, being held up in the air by a bunch of threads that were tied around it's body, arms, and legs was shown in a hollow space inside the middle of the wraith's chest. On the outside of the hollow space was an open stone gate, which then slowly closed. The enormous wraith began to march forward along with his familiars, which were pulling him forward with a bunch of red threads that were attached to his cuffs.

Edward – _Al! Thank you for coming all the way to a place like this._

On the inside of the hollow space in the giant wraith, the tainted silhouette was shown up close as tears began to leak from its closed eyes.

Edward – I'm sorry I couldn't even say goodbye to you in the end.

The wraith continued on its way down the bridge towards the fake East City, continuing to be pulled by his familiars.

* * *

 **Oh man! It just killed me to write this, but it had to be done.**

 **I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY, BUT I HAD TO DO THIS! WHAAAAAAAAA!**

 **Anyway, like how I put in similar effects to Ed and Al's human transmutation in there? I though it would suit his despair perfectly. I did decide to make Edward's wraith have clara dolls and multiple other familiars just like Homura's did, but I'm changing their designs and** **purposes so that they match Edward much more. I hope that's okay with you guys. I also really hope you guys loved this chapter and are looking forward to the next one, because I can't wait to write it!**

 **See you soon and send me feedback if you have any comments or suggestions!**


	7. Chapter 7

**OH YEAH! THIS IS IT! THE BIG SHOWDOWN!**

 **I bet you all have been dying to read this chapter but fear not, the wait is OVER. Because now is the time when we reach the first climax to our story. It was very hard to describe everything while I wrote, so I hope my descriptions are clear enough to you guys. The problem with writing a puella magi crossover story is that the scenery can very extremely complicated, but hopefully I did a good job.**

 **Aside from my problems, I'm sure I've stalled long enough. Here we go!**

* * *

Circles that had the same designs as the opening compartment of Edward's armored arm were suddenly shown, counting down from 5 to 0. As the circles counted down, Alphonse was shown in his magical contractor outfit peering behind the corner of a room filled with clocks. Winry was then shown in her magical contractor outfit running across the alleyway. Next, Roy in his magical contractor clothes and Mami in her form as Candeloro were shown on one of the East City bridges, appearing to be planning something until Roy stood up and he and Mami looked out towards the distance. Finally, Riza was shown in her magical contractor clothes sitting at the café in front of a large red curtain, however the chair in front of her was empty. The countdown finally reached zero and the curtain rose up, revealing what had become of the entire fake East City.

The sky was completely filled with a bunch of dark and murky colors, balls of red yarn and a bunch of other random household objects were scattered amongst the partially destroyed buildings, stuffed cat familiars were wandering all over the town, and the puppet guard familiars were shown marching through the city with the enormous wraith following behind. The wraith's runes then appeared in the sky saying, Icarus, The String-Puppet Wraith. A bunch of different puppet familiars that had blades on their arms and were being moved by floating wooden crosses were then shown jumping down in front of Icarus as they began to follow him. The large wraith appeared to be heading towards the large hill beside East City, where a giant guillotine had just risen out of the ground. The giant wax wings on Icarus's back then stretched out and began to rip apart the street behind him and his familiars, acting as hands that were clawing at the ground. The wings then flung around and ripped through a bunch more buildings as Icarus and his familiars continued on their way through the city.

Winry, Alphonse, Roy, Mami, and Riza were then shown standing on top of the giant guillotine, staring at Icarus as he headed towards them.

Roy – Is that… a wraith?

Winry – Please try not to look scared. Despite his appearance, he's suffering the most here.

Riza – I can't believe this has happened.

Kyubey – Wait a moment!

The four contractors along with Mami then turned their heads to the left to see Kyubey standing on the left pole at the top of the guillotine, looking towards them.

Kyubey – That's Edward Elric. Do you mean to fight your own friend?

Alphonse, Winry, Roy, and especially Riza however, were looking at Kyubey with slightly bitter expressions.

Alphonse – Kyubey…

Riza – That's funny. I didn't know you could talk like a normal person.

Kyubey blinked and didn't say anything. Roy then turned away from the incubator as Mami began to glare and hiss at him again.

Roy – It's unfortunate, Kyubey, but we'll just have to trust in what Mami has told us.

Kyubey then looked towards Alphonse.

Kyubey – Alphonse! You should have the power to save Edward! All you have to do is acknowledge the true power inside of you!

Alphonse felt uneasy as he looked back at Kyubey with unsure eyes, but then Winry put her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

Winry – Ignore him, Al. It'll be fine. Just do it the way I told you earlier.

Alphonse – Right.

* * *

Mami then turned back towards Icarus and a bunch of her ribbons began rising around her as a determined smile appeared on her face.

Mami – _REGALE!_

Mami quickly leapt off of the guillotine, leaving a trail of ribbons behind her. She then wrapped herself in her ribbon arms and appeared to plant herself into the ground. A can of water poured down on the ground where she planted herself, and in a flash of magic and magical flower fragments, a flower grew from the ground and bloomed to reveal Mami in her human/magical contractor form, with her waitress familiars standing beside her. She then rose up her right hand as her magic circle appeared underneath her feet and a bunch of ribbons shot straight into the air, forming sharp ends as if they were spears. The sharp ribbons then slammed into the sky, cracking it a little. Icarus appeared to notice the damage, so he rose up his cuffed hands and sent a bunch of his puppet guard familiars towards the disturbance.

Winry – Easy, Ed.

Winry was then shown, appearing in a vision of Elsa Maria's barrier; her entire body was black like a shadow again.

Winry – It's not like we're going to take you outside.

Winry was grinning, but not in a menacing way. Then she grabbed her sword, got on her knees, and appeared to completely impale her stomach and her heart. However once she did, Elicia then appeared out of the shadows of the blood, indicating that Winry was summoning her. Rather than her monstrous and rusty design, Elicia was shiny and looked as good as new this time; she was also no longer sitting down, broken and left to only being able to fold origami. Instead, she was standing up as if she was prepared to do her proper job, as a medical assisting automaton. The vision ended and Elicia appeared with her origami crane and wrench dog familiars, standing behind Winry who was holding her sword upwards. She then pointed it outwards as her magic circle appeared underneath her feet, signaling Elicia to attack. Kyubey stared at Mami and Winry in what appeared to be shock.

Kyubey – Wh-what are you?

Mami was shown continuing to summon more ribbons from the ground as her familiars surrounded her.

Mami – We were once bringers of hope, who despaired and spread our curses.

Winry was then shown waving her sword around as she commanded Elicia and her familiars.

Winry – Now we are those who were guided by the Law of the Cycle to break free from the chains of destiny binding this world.

Winry then commanded Elicia to create origami balls, which released a bunch of Gertrud's cotton ball familiars. However their appearance was a little different since they now had origami wings for their feet instead of butterflies, which meant that they were under Elicia's control.

Winry – We figured that this plan would allow us to move freely right under your nose, Incubator.

Winry was then shown riding on one of her origami crane familiars, flying over towards Icarus's familiars. Once she got close enough, Winry flipped off of her familiar and began to fight and destroy the puppet guard familiars coming her way.

Winry – You were so focused on Al that you failed to notice us.

Kyubey still seemed shocked.

Kyubey – No way… So you two were also part of the Law of the Cycle?

Winry then began riding on one of her origami crane familiars again as she and Elicia headed closer to Icarus.

Winry – Well, we're more like his personal assistants. When Al first came into Ed's barrier, someone had to hold all his memories and powers until it was time to give them back to him.

Icarus stretched his wings in front of him and gripped them together as if they were hands. He then lifted up his cuffs to smash his clasped wings, releasing bursts of magic, which sent an army of his puppet guard familiars and a bunch of his string controlled puppet familiars to battle against the army of the cotton ball familiars.

Mami – The idea was that if things took a turn for the worst, whether it was Rockbell-san or I, at least one of us would survive and be able to return Alphonse's true memories to him.

Mami then saw the string controlled puppet familiars bounce on the cotton ball familiars, heading straight towards her. She quickly grinned and closed her eyes, and once she opened them again, they changed back into Candeloro's eyes. Mami then took out another ribbon, which she used for her weapon as she and her familiars fought off the string controlled puppet familiars.

Winry – Even so, he sent three whole people just to get Ed?

After fighting off the string controlled puppet familiars, Mami slammed her hands on the ground and a bunch of ribbons shot into the sky once again, cracking the hole even further. A bunch of Elsa Maria and Patrick's familiars then emerged from the hole to join the fight as well.

Winry – It really has made a lot of extra work for us.

Icarus then sent a bunch of extended clock handles from the inside of his coat towards the hole in the sky. But Elicia quickly made an origami sword and sliced the handles before they could reach their destination.

Winry – It's for Ed's sake, though, so it's worth it.

Icarus and Elicia then clashed and surges of power began bursting from the wraith and the witch as they fought; they both also happened to be the same size. Icarus also began to raise more buildings out of the ground as he fought with Elicia.

Winry – He's worked hard enough for so long to save the people he cares about. It should be equivalent for him to be saved by those who care about him.

Winry began to blush as she continued to fight.

* * *

Alphonse watched in awe as Winry and Mami fought, then he gave a small smile.

Alphonse – Winry…

Alphonse then gasped in surprise once Roy grabbed his wrist and leapt towards the town, forcing him to follow. Roy then let go of Alphonse's hand and looked back at him, giving the younger magical contractor a determined smile as they leapt through the air.

Roy – Alphonse! It's our turn now!

Alphonse then smiled determinedly back at Roy.

Alphonse – Right!

Alphonse and Roy then clapped hands, causing their powers to combine again. Roy's flames surrounded Alphonse, creating a protective dome around him as he clapped his hands, created his bow, shot a light arrow upwards, and cracked the sky even further than before. The eyes of the tainted silhouette inside Icarus then abruptly opened wide.

Edward – _Stop! Please, stop!_

Winry, Mami, Roy, and Alphonse all looked up in shock once they heard Edward's voice.

Edward – _I have to die in this world!_

Roy – What are you thinking, Fullmetal?!

Roy then noticed that while Icarus was clashing with Elicia, he was also pointing one of his fingers outwards. A bunch of his children doll familiars holding their staffs then emerged from his cuffs. The familiars ran outwards, jumped to the ground, and charged straight through the cotton ball familiars towards Mami, who gasped in slight shock once she saw them coming. Alphonse quickly ran behind her, grabbed her hand, and lead her away from the incoming familiars, which were then pushed back by a few of Patrick's familiars. Gertrud's blob familiars and Elsa Maria's familiars then shot straight through the other children doll familiars, with Mami and Alphonse riding on top of them. Meanwhile, Winry was shown running across a factory pipeline until she hopped onto one of her origami crane familiars again to avoid another attack.

Winry – Seriously, Ed!

Winry then began fighting with one of the child doll familiars that looked like her.

Winry – Stop trying to take on these huge burdens all by yourself!

Another child doll familiar then flew straight towards Winry, taking her by surprise, and kicked her backwards. A giant stuffed cat familiar then seemed to swallow her as a bunch of other stuffed cat familiars surrounded the large one, however the giant familiar instantly burst apart and Riza was shown carrying Winry as she landed down to safety.

Riza – Despite what you say, you're not any less reckless than he is.

Winry looked a little intimidated, but then she smiled as Riza put her down.

Winry – Thank you.

Riza then began to stare at the ground with her bangs covering her eyes. Winry quickly noticed Riza's sudden mood change and looked back at her concernedly.

Riza – I had a terrible dream. A dream where you were dead.

A bunch of familiars that looked like eyes with pupils shaped as wooden crosses that held string puppets, and had multiple black arms suddenly appeared. The eye familiars then began shooting extra wooden crosses out from their pupils at Riza and Winry.

Riza – But the truth is that was reality, and this right here, where we're fighting side by side, is just a dream. Isn't that right, Winry?

Winry then smiled sympathetically at Riza and gently held her hand.

Winry – This isn't just a dream. It's a little brighter than that.

A bunch more cotton ball familiars then appeared and began to shoot some kind of magical beams from their hands towards the eye familiars. Mami was then shown fighting off more stuffed cat familiars along with Winry's dog wrench familiars, but then she was caught by surprise by a pack of eye familiars. Roy however, quickly grabbed her hand and got her to safety with the help of Kirsten's angel familiars, then he snapped his fingers to create more muskets and shot them at the eye familiars. Alphonse and a few black spike ball cat familiars were shown running closer to Icarus, but then Alphonse looked to his right to see a bunch of puppet guard familiars throw a long wave of spears at Elicia.

Winry – I thought I didn't have any regrets when I died. But the reason I ended up taking this assignment and coming back was because I actually do have one regret. The fact that I left both Ed… and you behind. After all, to me… you were like an older sister, Riza-san.

Riza smiled sadly.

Riza – And as for Edward-kun… I already know how you feel about him.

Winry – That's right. He may be stubborn, hardheaded, impossible to figure out, and sometimes a real pain in the neck. But even so… I love him. So much that… I couldn't bear not coming back here.

Mami – I just wanted to drink tea with friends one more time!

Mami was shown quickly passing by Riza and Winry while using her ribbons to trapeze herself through the air with Kirsten's angel familiars. Riza giggled and Winry gave a slightly embarrassed and irritated look at Mami.

Winry – Hey, Mami-san! You just ruined the moment!

Mami closed her eyes and giggled as she glanced back at Winry. Riza then smiled and picked up her lance, preparing to fight.

* * *

Winry hopped down to where more puppet guard familiars were standing and she began to fight them off. Riza then followed after her and the two fought together again as they sliced through each familiar. The two contractors then put their weapons together, combining their magic, which caused a giant version of Riza's lance to appear in Elicia's hands. Icarus began to spread more extended clockwork handles and gears from his coat around him, managing to cover up the cracked hole in the barrier's sky. Then, a few very large puppet guard familiars rose up from the ground, attempting to grab Mami as she continued to trapeze through the air with Kirsten's angel familiars, gracefully avoiding the large puppet guard familiars.

Mami – Roy!

Roy – Understood!

Roy snapped his fingers and sent spiraling flames towards Mami, who then leaped to the ground, slammed her hand down as her magic circle appeared underneath her feet, and a bunch of ribbons shot out of the ground and enveloped themselves over Roy's flames. In a burst of ribbon and flame magic, a large cannon created from the two contractors combined magic appeared with Mami standing at the top of it and Roy standing at it's front base. Mami then rose up her right hand and stared determinedly at the giant puppet guard familiars.

Mami – TIRO FINALE!

Roy snapped his fingers and the giant cannon fired. After sailing through the air for a while, the blast made direct contact with its targets and destroyed the large puppet guard familiars completely. Winry and Riza then headed in opposite directions to fight off more children doll familiars, but soon Riza found herself cornered. Luckily, Roy was near her and he quickly snapped and created a flame dome around her, which spread outwards and destroyed the children doll familiars. He then landed down next to Riza and grinned at her.

Roy – Good thing I was nearby.

Riza – Thank you, Sir.

Roy and Riza then stood back to back as they began fighting off more familiars that came at them.

Roy – Whether fighting as a soldier or a magical contractor… You never cease to amaze me no matter what the situation, Hawkeye.

Riza – I was trained professionally in the military, which was why I was assigned as your partner, and later as your first lieutenant. You were even my senior when I first received my powers. It's quite ironic… how we always end up fighting side by side like this, isn't it?

Roy – When I became colonel, you said that you would always stand by my side and that if I ever strayed down the wrong path, you would shoot me in the back, isn't that right?

Riza – Of course.

Roy – When you became my apprentice, I swore to myself I would lead you through your battles without letting you down. Even when you began to despair after what happened to you father… I wanted to do whatever I could to keep you safe.

Roy's grin then disappeared and Riza glanced back at him curiously.

Riza – Is there something you're trying to imply?

Roy – I too just remembered something I used to mistake for as a bad dream. It was a vision that felt so real, and yet held no place within my memories. But now, I think I finally understand… That wasn't a dream at all, but a memory that probably shouldn't exist.

Riza was silent as she listened to Roy.

Roy – I almost lost you once when you began to lose hope. But then, you began to change… You closed off your heart, grew distant from others, you even threw away your desire to help people.

A blurry vision was then shown of Riza walking away from Roy, who was glancing down at the ground with his bangs covering his eyes.

Riza – And then I left you.

Roy looked at Riza in surprise.

Riza – This memory came back to you before we were dragged in here, am I right?

Roy – How did you know?

Riza – I've been having visions as well.

Roy turned towards Riza and continued to stare at her in surprise.

Riza – Like you, I couldn't understand what they were or what they meant at the time. Though I know I stayed in East City and continued to fight demons with you, those memories told a completely different story. When my father died, I had almost given up seeing as how my actions brought nothing but sorrow to him. But then I thought about you… Those very thoughts got me to keep going, and allowed me to live. And yet… I was so hurt, I thought putting myself before anyone else would ease the pain. So I decided to never make the same mistake of using my magic for the sake of others again. And the final stage of that decision… was ending my ties with you.

Roy looked at Riza with sympathetic eyes as he listened to her.

Riza – The truth is, I didn't want to believe that could ever happen. I never thought I would ever become like that. But now, I'm beginning to believe those visions were real after all.

Roy – Hawkeye…

Riza – I was a fool… to believe that you were always that strong. I should've realized sooner… No, I should have known from the start. And that's why…

Riza then looked back at Roy with apologetic eyes.

Riza – I wanted to apologize, Roy.

Roy's eyes widened with slight shock, then he closed his eyes and grinned again.

Roy – The infamous "Hawk's Eye" of the Eastern War, Riza Hawkeye is not suited to be so soft.

Riza then began to stare at Roy with curiosity showing in her eyes.

Roy – But as for the Riza Hawkeye I know… She's gentle, stern, strong, loyal…

Roy then opened his eyes and looked into Riza's.

Roy – And determined to fight for the person she has to protect. That's the Riza I see standing here in front of me.

Riza widened her eyes even more. Roy then looked over to his right side to see Winry fighting with Mami.

Roy – I believe it was also thanks to Winry that you have been able to hold on until now, am I right?

Riza looked over to where Winry was and smiled.

Riza – It seems so. Little sisters tend to have that effect on you. After all, the same goes for you and that girl, doesn't it?

Roy glanced over to where Mami was and continued to smile.

Roy – I suppose so. But it couldn't have just been those two. Perhaps it was each one of these kids who opened our long closed hearts.

Riza – Perhaps you're right. That's probably why we feel the need to protect them.

Riza twirled her lance around and stared determinedly at the stuffed cat familiars and string controlled puppet familiars that were beginning to head towards her and Roy, who saw the familiars as well and took out two more muskets.

Roy – Honestly, what are we going to do with them? These kids are going to be the death of us.

Riza – There's no use complaining about it. I'm not about to let a child suffer like this on my watch.

Roy – My thoughts exactly. Especially if it's one of these children.

Roy and Riza both took a battle stance, as the familiars got closer to them.

Roy – Let's go, Riza!

Riza – Yes, Roy!

Roy and Riza then began fighting off the familiars together once again.

* * *

Winry leaped down to Alphonse to help him fight off more children doll familiars that were beginning to surround him. Once they destroyed the familiars blocking their path, Winry rose up her hand and signaled Elicia, who then jumped up towards the gears and clockwork handles covering the hole in the sky and jammed her large version of Riza's lance into it. The impact caused a large version of Winry's magic circle to appear around the hole in the sky, moving away the gears and clockwork handles that were surrounding it. Alphonse was then shown running closer to Icarus again, staring determinedly at the hole in the sky while preparing another light arrow.

Alphonse – Nii-san!

Edward – _Stop, Al!_

Alphonse then stopped running and shot his arrow straight towards the hole created by Elicia's lance, causing the barrier's sky to finally break apart as the hole grew even bigger. Alphonse, Winry and Mami, and Roy and Riza stared up at the crumbling sky as it continued to shatter. The real world outside of the labyrinth then became visible through the enormous hole, along with the outer shell of the isolation field trapping Edward's Soul Timer and the multiple incubators who were carefully watching it. Mami narrowed her eyes as she stared at the outer world.

Mami – I can see it! The Incubators' seal!

Winry stared up at the giant hole in the barrier with narrowed and determined eyes as well.

Winry – If we can break that, you'll be free, Ed!

Alphonse was then shown running towards Icarus again, now only a few feet away from him.

Winry – Without the Incubators' interference, you'll be able to reach the outside world and see the real Al again!

* * *

 **CLIFFHANGER! I'm sorry, but that's all for now.**

 **Don't worry, the next chapter will be up soon. I know I say that a lot, but please bear with me. I hope you guys liked the ideas for Edward's wraith name, his familiars, and the entire battle scene. Along with Winry and Riza having a moment like Sayaka and Kyoko did in the original, I wanted to give Roy and Riza a special moment too. I hope you liked it, and I hope it wasn't too cheesy or out of character. I also hope you all liked how I made Winry confess her love for Ed when she was talking with Riza. Don't worry, more EdWin will be coming in future chapters; it does NOT stop here.**

 **I also wanted to point out that I made Mami's powers slightly different from what they were in the anime(taking away the guns and only using the ribbons) because Roy is taking her original role in this story, so it wouldn't make sense if they both had muskets. But because the two of them combined their powers, we were able to give Mami her grand Tiro Finale(shared with Roy).**

 **Review, comment, suggest, or anything of the sort. I love feedback.** **I really hope you guys are enjoying this and I hope it inspires any of you who are also writers. I'll see you again in the next chapter, but until then, bye!**


	8. Chapter 8

**IT IS TIME! THE MOMENT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!**

 **The climax, plot twist, and final decision that will decide the very fate of this story has arrived! BUM BUM BUUUUUMMMMMM!**

 **Other than the result of Alphonse and the others' plan to save Edward from the incubators experiment, I'm pretty sure you all know what else is going to be happening in this chapter. But be prepared… things may have a slightly more alternate twist to them than they did in the original. THERE'S NO TELLING WHAT I HAVE DONE. AH HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAA!**

 **Anyway, please read and enjoy!**

* * *

The stone gate in Icarus's chest was shown up close and Edward's voice was heard letting out a despairing gasp. On the other side of the gate, a vision of the flooded ruins of East City caused by Walpurgisnacht's destruction was shown. The ruins looked exactly the same as they always did whenever Walpurgisnacht was defeated, dark clouds in the sky, rain pouring down, destroyed buildings and lumps of rubble everywhere, and inches of water flooding the entire ground. Edward was shown kneeling down on the ground, looking down sadly and despairingly at a badly injured and nearly dead Alphonse lying in his arms. Another figure of Edward in his magical contractor clothes then appeared and pointed his armor blade down at the Edward holding Alphonse. The vision faded away, revealing the other Edward figure to be pointing his armor blade at the tainted silhouette inside the hollow space in Icarus's chest.

Alphonse – Don't! Don't do it, Nii-san.

The tainted silhouette immediately opened its eyes once it heard Alphonse's voice.

Alphonse – I told you that you shouldn't go off by yourself, didn't I? You don't have to be alone.

The stone gate leading to the vision of the ruins in East City from Walpurgisnacht's destruction then opened. Though the tainted silhouette was still hanging in the air, tied by a bunch of threads, it still managed to lift its head up and look towards the now open gate.

Edward – Al…

Alphonse – No matter what happens, you'll always be you, Nii-san. My very strong, kind, stubborn, reliable, and precious older brother. And I would never abandon you.

A large scratched up arm then exited out of the open gate, reaching for the tainted silhouette.

Alphonse – There are so many people who care about you… So many people who want to save you. And I especially could never bear it if I lost you now. So don't give up!

Once the large injured hand gently touched the tainted silhouette's face, the badly injured Alphonse in the vision was shown weakly raising his hand up towards Edward's face. He then grasped the hand tightly as his body began to shake and tears began streaming from his eyes as he looked down at the Alphonse he was still holding in his arms. The tainted silhouette was then released from its bindings and landed gently to the floor as it grasped the large injured hand that came through the gate. Edward's loud sobs could even be heard outside of Icarus, who finally stopped moving.

Edward – I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot… and a coward.

The tainted silhouette's hand was then shown taking the real Alphonse's hand, since he was now inside the hollow space in Icarus's chest, kneeling down and smiling warmly at the tainted silhouette.

Edward – I wanted to see you again. And if I had to go so far as to betray that wish… I knew I could shoulder any sin.

The area around Alphonse and the tainted silhouette began to glow, and then the two figures reappeared right on top of the blue spotted hands hovering over Icarus. The blackish/golden tainted colored substance that seemed to make up the body of the tainted silhouette then melted away and revealed the real Edward. He was in his magical contractor clothes, with his armored arm gone and replaced by another white glove on his right hand.

Edward – No matter what I became, I knew I'd be fine with it. As long as I could have you by my side.

The two brothers then stood up and Edward looked down at the fake East City, seeing Winry, Roy, Riza, and Mami smiling up at him and Alphonse, which made him smile as well.

Edward – (Everyone, thank you.)

Edward then looked back at Alphonse, who was still smiling.

Alphonse – Then, Nii-san. Lets do it together.

Edward – Right.

Edward and Alphonse then clapped hands, combining their powers. Both of their bows appeared in their hands and then a bright light shone from where they were standing. Once the light cleared away a little, Edward and Alphonse were shown holding one gigantic holy golden bow that had designs resembling both of their magic. Both of the two contractors' magic circles appeared underneath their feet as they prepared a gigantic golden light arrow. Winry then clapped her palms together, causing her magic circle to appear underneath her feet and blue light to start shining around her. A burst of blue light then zoomed upwards from her position, flew over towards Edward and Alphonse, and centered itself on top of the brothers' light arrow. Roy, Riza, and Mami then clapped their hands together as well, forming each of their magic circles underneath their feet, and then sending ounces of their magic over to Edward and Alphonse as well. Once the reddish/orange, purple, and yellow lights came over onto Edward and Alphonse's bow, bright golden light began shining brightly from the two brothers' position once again as they both looked up at the sky.

Alphonse – Nii-san, you're not scared?

Edward – No. Don't worry. I won't hesitate anymore.

Edward and Alphonse then fired their arrow, mixed in with the powers of all their friends. The giant arrow shot straight towards the enormous hole in the barrier's sky, out of Edward's Soul Timer, through the isolation field, and into the sky of the real world, capturing the attention of each and every single incubator that was gathered around. Once the arrow finally reached the sky, a giant version of Alphonse's magic circle appeared and over a million golden, golden/white, blue, reddish/orange, purple, and yellow light arrows rained down to the ground. The massive amount of the raining light arrows caused plenty of explosions, destroying everything in sight and every single incubator that was within the entire area.

All The Incubators – I just don't understand at all!

Each of the incubators were destroyed, the isolation field was shattered, and Edward was freed from his despair. The labyrinth of the entire false East City finally began to collapse, and once it disappeared, the area was once again a plain old desert.

* * *

Edward was then shown still lying unconscious on the same platform bed, which was now lying on the sandy plane in the ruins of what was left of the building he was trapped inside. Though he wasn't awake, he was still holding his bow and Whiskers close to him with a tight grip, refusing to let go. Edward's Soul Timer was now lying in the sand beside the platform bed, though there were still plenty of cracks and chips in the golden watch. The inside of the Soul Timer was also completely black and the counting needle was already dead set on zero, meaning that it was long past its limit and there was no way to purify it. Roy then picked up the Soul Timer from the sand and gently placed it on Edward's chest. He then looked at Edward sadly and compassionately brushed the younger boy's bangs out of his face before standing up to look over at the horizon of the desert.

Four of Kirsten's familiars were shown holding and gently placing down two couches on the ground. May and her parents were sleeping on one couch, sitting upwards and leaning against each other, and Nakazawa was lying down, asleep on the other couch. Three of Robert's familiars were then shown gently lowering a chair to the ground with Izumi sleeping on it. Two more of Kirsten's familiars were also lowering down one last couch with Trisha and Hohenheim sleeping together on it, sitting upwards and leaning against each other as well. The two angel familiars carrying the couch with Trisha and Hohenheim on it looked over towards Roy and waved at him. Roy waved back at the familiars and then turned around to see Riza staring out to the horizon while standing a few feet away from the platform bed Edward was lying on.

Riza – Are they gone now? Winry, and your friend, Mami too?

Roy walked towards Riza and looked at the desert along with her.

Riza – And now we're going to lose Edward-kun too. Why must they always go before us?

Riza's eyes held sadness in them as she looked outwards. Roy then turned his head towards her and looked at her with sympathy and sadness in his own eyes as well. But then he smiled and looked up towards the sky as it began to glow.

Roy – No. It's better this way.

Riza glanced towards Roy before following his gaze up at the sky.

Roy – They're finally taking him away with them.

Bright golden/white light began to emerge from the sky as Roy and Riza stared at it in awe.

Riza – Is that Alphonse Elric?

Roy – Yes. The Law of the Cycle, which will one day lead us away too.

A large six star portal with multiple rays of golden/white light peering out of it and a bunch of holy designed magic rings surrounding it then appeared in the sky. A very long golden/white path then appeared, which lead down from the portal to where Edward, Roy, and Riza were. The portal seemed to lead straight to the space in the universe Edward and Alphonse ended up in when the world was reformed. One of Walpurgisnacht's green circus elephant familiars appeared on the golden/white path, pulling a nicely designed carriage as it headed down the magical road. Then, Alphonse as his god form appeared out of the portal and began to float down towards Edward. Just like before, Alphonse was now wearing his large holy-like armor, his hair was endlessly long but kept in a ponytail, and his large white energy wings were shown protruding from his back. His now golden/orange eyes slowly opened and a smile appeared on his face as he floated down.

Alphonse – **_Now I remember. I came here for Nii-san._**

Alphonse's smile grew as he looked down towards his brother, still lying unconscious on the platform bed.

Alphonse – **_I can't believe I forgot something so important._**

Winry – Well, there was quite a bit of unnecessary interference.

Winry and Mami were then shown riding on the carriage the green elephant familiar was pulling.

Winry – We ended up taking a pretty roundabout path, didn't we?

Mami – It was quite troublesome.

Back with Edward, his eyes finally began to slowly open. First he saw the green elephant familiar pulling the carriage with Winry and Mami sitting in it, then he saw Roy and Riza staring up at the sky in awe, and finally he saw Alphonse floating down to him, smiling his familiar warm and gentle smile.

Alphonse – **_I'm sorry for making you wait so long._**

Edward continued to stare weakly up at Alphonse.

Alphonse – **_You've worked so hard all this time._**

Edward – Al…

Alphonse – **_Now, lets go. From now on, we'll always be together._**

Alphonse was now only inches away from Edward, reaching his hands out to cleanse his brother's Soul Timer.

Edward – Yeah, that's right. I've waited so long for this.

Edward then gave a small smile.

* * *

Just before Alphonse could put his hands around his brother's Soul Timer, Edward quickly let go of Whiskers and his bow, and grasped the golden watch tightly in his own hands. Alphonse was a little startled by Edward's sudden action and he looked down at his brother confusedly.

Alphonse – _**Nii-san?**_

Edward continued to smile and he looked up at Alphonse apologetically.

Edward – I've finally…

The black impurities inside Edward's Soul Timer then started flashing and the darkness began to separate into a bunch of little squares as if they were being deconstructed into small fragments.

Edward – found the way out.

A bunch of streams made up of a bunch of beautiful light colors began swiftly streaming through the air from Edward, surprising everyone.

Riza – Wh-what's going on? Is that also part of the Law of the Cycle?

Roy – No. Whatever it is, it's coming from… Edward?!

Everyone continued to stare at Edward in amazed shock as the colorful streams continued to sprout from his Soul Timer. The fragmented pieces of the impurities inside the golden watch then began to exit it and disappear. However, rather than turning back to its original gold color, the inside of the watch was now colored with all the many bright colors from the wild streams coming from Edward, making his Soul Timer look much more beautiful than before. The counting needle on the inside of the watch then started ticking clockwise once again and the ticking needle also began to spin very quickly to the left, although it was spinning even faster than it normally did whenever a Soul Timer reacted to a wraith.

Mami – He's purifying his Soul Timer by himself?! And it has changed to a color even more radiant than a prayer?! But, that shouldn't be possible!

Winry – I don't think so.

Mami glanced over at Winry curiously.

Winry – Those colors, this feeling… It seems familiar.

Mami – What is that? Strength? Satisfaction?

Winry – No, it's something else. Ed, are you possibly…

The colored streams began sprouting much more rapidly from Edward's Soul Timer, and his eyes began shining with all the many colors as well. He then began to smile even more and he closed his eyes.

Edward – It's only natural that it's hard for you to understand. Yeah… No one else in the world could possibly understand. This emotion is mine alone. It is for Al and you guys, the ones I let into my heart, alone.

Though the wind caused by the many colorful rays streaming from Edward was slightly pushing back Roy, Riza, Mami, and Winry, each one of them continued to stare towards him with both shock and awe. Suddenly, cracks began to form within the entire area as if the world was made of glass, meaning that reality itself was cracking. Everyone looked even more surprised as the cracks formed all around them, Alphonse however looked a little panicked.

Alphonse – _**Nii-san, Wait! If you do this, then-**_

Edward then gently clasped both of Alphonse's hands into his own, causing the god to calm down long enough to see the reassuring smile on his brother's face.

Edward – Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Believe in me, Al.

Alphonse's eyes widened in shock for a moment, then he relaxed and nodded his head.

Alphonse – _**I understand.**_

Much more powerful streams then began rising out of Edward's Soul Timer, cracking reality even more than before. Alphonse's face looked struggled for a moment, but he didn't try to stop his brother. Winry however, looked panicked herself once she saw Edward and Alphonse.

Winry – Al, what do you think you're doing?! He'll rip you apart!

Suddenly, one large crack formed between Alphonse and appeared to separate his god form from his human form. God Alphonse was shown rising up into the air behind all the cracks, holding his arms outwards and widening his eyes as if he were in a trance. Human Alphonse was now floating in the same place god Alphonse formally was, appearing to be unconscious as Edward continued to hold onto his hands.

Edward – It's just as you said, Al. We'll never be apart ever again.

Edward then pulled Alphonse closer to his body and wrapped his arms around his little brother in a protective and passionate embrace. The entire area around the group of magical contractors was now no longer visible due to the many cracks in reality, though the colored streams had finally died down. A huge wave of the bright colors then suddenly burst from Edward's Soul Timer. The large wave began enveloping everything in its path, which surprised Roy, Riza, Mami, and Winry once again as it enveloped them as well. The rest of the desert was then shown completely cracking, followed by the massive wave continuing to grow and cover it as well. The entire earth, the rest of the solar system, the whole galaxy, and even time and space itself were all shown completely cracking as well before the wave completely covered them all as it continued to spread. Finally, the entire universe was shown cracking and becoming completely consumed by the wave of colors, which formed into a large sphere and then changed to look like a swirling ring of power.

* * *

Edward was then shown in the same space he and Alphonse were in when the universe was first reformed. However, this time he was still in his magical contractor clothes and he was alone, staring upwards without really looking at anything. His Soul Timer was then shown floating above his head; though it was completely taint free, the cracks and chips in the watch were still growing. Finally, the entire Soul Timer broke apart into pieces. However, the cracked pieces of the watch then began swirling around and started to piece themselves back together, taking a completely new form. The formerly golden colored pocket watch now looked like a golden hourglass, about the size of a person's palm, and was designed with infinity symbols. However, instead of a glass vial with sand inside of it, the hourglass vial was made completely out of a multi-colored stone that was once the inside of the Soul Timer. The golden hourglass floated down into Edward's hand once it was done reforming; what was once a Soul Timer, was now properly known as, the Infinity Glass. Kyubey along with thousands of other incubators were then shown floating in the space area as well, staring outwards.

Kyubey – The world is being rewritten. Does this mean a new principle has been born into this universe?

Edward – **_That's right. You don't remember the last time anymore, do you? For me, this is the second time I've seen this place._**

Kyubey – What's happening? Edward Elric, what are you meddling in? What have you changed?

Edward was then shown grinning, apparently towards Kyubey.

Kyubey – I don't believe this. Your curse-blackened Soul Timer—your very soul—should have vanished. So why…?

Edward – **_Because I finally remembered. All the times I repeated history, all the pain and injuries I suffered over and over… That was all proof of my feelings for Alphonse and even my friends. So now, even pain is precious to me. It was not even prayers that purified my Soul Timer._**

Kyubey – Then what did?

Edward – **_Something that you have no chance of ever understanding, Incubator. It is the pinnacle of all human emotion. More passionate than hope, far deeper than despair._**

Edward's hand, which was holding his Infinity Glass, then disappeared and his face appeared in front of the hourglass as it floated downwards. His mouth then opened up and appeared to swallow the hourglass as it floated into it, then he continued to smile genuinely.

Edward – **_It's love._**

Edward's chest then began to glow, symbolizing that his Infinity Glass was in that part of his body. Kyubey then began to stare at him in what looked to be shock.

Kyubey – Then what could you possibly be now?

Edward's magical contractor clothes disappeared and holy designed white clothes began to appear on him in their place; his hair then grew endlessly long, causing his braid to come undone and instead be put in a ponytail, much like Alphonse's was. His eyes also changed to a much more golden/silver color than they were before.

Kyubey – Neither magical contractor nor wraith—just what are you trying to become?

Edward – **_You're right. The way I am now, I'm not even a wraith anymore._**

Two large glowing golden wings then appeared out of Edward's back and he turned back towards Kyubey now that his transformation was complete.

Edward – **_I pulled that particular boy apart from that sacred, god-like entity, receiving the task of forever watching over him from beyond the boundaries of heaven. A being that could perform such feats could only be called a guardian, don't you agree?_**

Kyubey continued to stare at Edward's new form for a while before he appeared to spin onto his feet and turn around.

Kyubey – This makes it very clear. Trying to make use of human emotion is just too dangerous. We could never hope to control anything so unpredictable.

Edward – **_Is that so?_**

Edward grinned again and looked towards Kyubey, who appeared to be running off. He then reached out his hand and grabbed the incubator, completely shocking him. Kyubey was even smaller than Edward's own palm now, which meant that he grew massively large once he transformed. Edward then rose up his hand holding Kyubey and looked straight at him.

Edward – **_But as an existence that rests on a plane even higher than man itself… I also have the task of punishing those who have committed crimes against this world such as yourself, and I believe I have the perfect sentence for you. We'll need someone to handle all the curses that have spread around our world. That's where you all come in._**

Edward then released Kyubey just a little so that he was now holding the incubator between two of his fingers.

Edward – ** _So you'll be sticking around to help, Incubator._**

Edward then began to pet Kyubey's head with one finger from his other hand. The universe began to glow in multiple different colors as the reformations under Edward's new laws continued to re-construct it. The Earth was then shown again as the sun began to rise over it; the reformation process was now complete.

* * *

 **SURPRISE! THE BIG TWIST HAS FINALLY BEEN REVEALED!**

 **You see, I didn't have much resentment towards the original ending to Puella Magi The Rebellion, in fact I thought in a particular way, it made sense. But I do agree that even I wished it ended more happily. So this was one reason as to why I changed the big plot twist, but the main reason was because I felt like if Ed realized there was a way to give Al his life back without turning to the dark side, then he would take that road. Not that I'm saying Homura would have turned evil if she found another way, but I just feel that for these characters, this plot twist seemed more fitting. I mean, doesn't the role of a guardian fit Ed to charm? He always has been like a guardian to Al, even in the original series.**

 **I also hope you guys liked that I chose to make him into a guardian; it was hard figuring out what I would make him become at first, but then this just seemed to pop into place.**

 **I also chose this route because Ed has bonds with the other characters as well, and it didn't feel right to make them his enemies when one: Unlike Homura, he hasn't given up on the rest of his friends completely. And two: there are things that need to happen between him and a certain someone, and those things can't happen if Ed becomes a devil!**

 **If you guys have complaints about the route I took, you can tell me, but I honestly hope you all enjoyed what I decided to do. If any of you are confused as to what Ed did to Al and the universe in relation to Homura's actions I will explain more of it in the next chapter, but for now I can tell you this: Instead of having love dirty his Soul Timer even further, love cleaned it and changed it to become much more clear and beautiful than it ever had been before. Like Homura, Ed still destroyed reality and changed the laws of the universe again, but he DID NOT imprison the Law of the Cycle. He only separated who Alphonse was as a human from it, and brought it back to the real world. The Law of the Cycle still exists and is still a concept that frees people from despair, but you could say it is temporarily incomplete. And like Homura did, Ed will be using the incubators to clean up the curses left behind by the demons.**

 **I'll talk more about it in the next chapter, comment and review if you have questions or just want to get any feels off your chest. I'll see you guys again when I post the next, and did I mention FINAL chapter of Fullmetal Magi Alphonse Magica The Rebellion Story!**

 **Bye!**


	9. Chapter 9

**OMG! OMG! OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING! THE FINAL CHAPTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Wait, it's the final chapter? Aw man! That means the story's almost over!(sobbing)**

 **I just want to thank all of you who have read this and who have supported me since I first posted "Fullmetal Magi Alphonse M** **agica." This truly has been an absolutely amazing experience for me and all of your support, feedback, and comments have made me so happy and determined. I hope my idea has inspired many of you readers out there and I hope it touched your hearts as much as it has touched mine. Thank you all so much.**

 **Now, who wants to see what happens for our final? I promise you won't be disappointed… Because I have a bunch of surprises for you! One, two three… SHOWTIME!**

* * *

It was a normal spring morning; cheery blossom petals were falling from the trees that grew beside the path to East City Middle School as a bunch of students walked down it. A few of Edward's children doll familiars were shown running down the path, but then they disappeared after passing by one cherry blossom petal falling to the ground. Mami was then shown walking towards East City Middle School as well, carrying a schoolbag and wearing a girls' school uniform. Though she stopped for a moment and rose up her right hand to catch a falling petal; just as she did, Edward appeared to run past her in the opposite direction of all the other students, however it didn't seem as though any one saw him. After he passed by her, Mami quickly turned around believing she caught a glimpse of a short boy with golden hair in the corner of her eye, however she didn't see a boy behind her that matched that description at all. She continued to stare in that same direction with slight confusion, then she looked down at her palm and opened it, seeing that instead of a flower petal there was a light golden feather instead. Mami continued to look down at her hand in slight confusion.

Madoka – Mami-san?

Mami then looked up in surprise, seeing her four friends standing in front of her. Madoka Kaname, a girl with pink eyes and pink hair tied in pigtails with two red ribbons. Sayaka Miki, a girl with blue eyes and short blue hair with two yellow barrettes clipped on the left side of her bangs. Kyoko Sakura, a girl with red eyes and long red hair tied in a ponytail with a black ribbon. And finally, Homura Akemi, a girl with purple eyes and long blackish/purple hair tied in two twin braids with two purple ribbons; she was also wearing a grey headband with black dots, and thin red glasses. The four girls smiled happily at Mami as they walked closer to her.

Madoka – Good morning.

Sayaka – Are you ready to go?

Mami – Huh? Oh, right…

Kyoko then looked at Mami curiously.

Kyoko – What's wrong, Mami? It's not like you to space out like this.

Homura then looked at Mami a bit concernedly.

Homura – Are you sure you're feeling okay?

Mami stared at her friends for a while, then she looked to her right side, towards the trees.

Mami – I don't know. I… think I was part of a larger being before. I know I was connected to a power that existed outside this world, but I can't remember what it was anymore. I wasn't supposed to be here at one point. But now…

A few of Mami's waitress familiars suddenly appeared from behind the cherry trees she was looking at. Each of her four friends then looked at her with much more confusion than before.

Madoka – Um… Mami-san? What are you talking about?

Mami appeared to snap out of her trance and her familiars disappeared, then she looked back at her friends. After a while she smiled and closed her eyes for a moment to regain her composure.

Mami – I'm sorry, I was just thinking out loud. Don't worry about it. I'm fine.

The four girls still looked a little concerned but then they smiled again as well.

Mami – Now then, why don't we get going? We don't want to be late after all.

Sayaka – Yep! That's right! Come on, let's go, let's go.

The five girls then began walking to school together and Mami continued to smile with them the rest of the way.

* * *

A few of Elsa Maria's familiars were shown passing through the shadows of a nearby building, which Edward was sitting up on the ledge of, watching everyone walk to school, especially Mami and her friends. Whiskers was also resting on top of his left shoulder. Then, three different pairs of feet were shown walking up towards Edward from behind him.

Riza – So, this is what you've done with the world, Edward-kun.

Edward then turned around to see his visitors, although he didn't seem surprised to see them.

Edward – Just as I thought. Looks like you guys understand what's happened.

Winry, Roy, and Riza were revealed to be the ones standing behind Edward, smiling at him. The three then walked closer to him.

Roy – Of course we have. It was your intention to have us remember after all.

Edward then grinned.

Edward – Count yourself lucky that I did too, Mustang.

Winry – But, you do realize the risks you took for what you've done right, Ed? After all, you've broken off a part of the Law of the Cycle. The power of salvation that was the hope of all magical contractors.

Edward – Don't worry, all I released was a tiny piece of it. Just the records of the person that Al was before he ceased to exist.

Edward looked out to the horizon and pet Whiskers as he spoke. He watched a few black spike ball cat familiars run across a bunch of other buildings before he turned his head back around to face his friends again.

Edward – Though I only intended to involve you and even Tomoe Mami, somehow all who were connected to the Law of the Cycle ended up being pulled in as well. Unfortunately, it seems you can't return to wherever you were before either.

Winry – You know that may cause a disturbance. After all, it goes against the law of the equivalence of balance that all magical contractors are burdened to carry. You should know that the most out of any of us, Ed.

Edward – That's true. Up until now, I've always respected and lived by that rule.

Roy – Then what made the difference?

More of Edward's children doll familiars were shown sitting at a café table, eating apples.

Edward – I am now an existence who acts under providence. A being who watches over and protects the concepts of life attaching me to this world. However, if the laws of a god stand in the way of that duty, then I have the right to upset and reorder those laws under my own influence. It's only natural that I should be rebelling against equivalent exchange, don't you think?

Roy gave a small smirk and turned his head to the side.

Roy – Even so… The way you say it, Edward, you almost sound like you're trying to undermine god.

Edward then looked a little irritated.

Edward – You do realize you're trying to pick a fight with something similar to one right, Mustang?

Roy – Well it's not very easy to see you that way when your stature doesn't match at all.

Edward's face then filled with rage and his eyes turned bright red.

Edward – WHO ARE SO CALLING SO SHORT THAT YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SEE HIM IF HE WAS STANDING ON YOUR ALARM CLOCK SCREAMING FOR YOU TO GET OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING?! I CAN INFLICT PUNISHMENT ON YOU THE WAY I AM NOW MUSTANG! DON'T THINK THAT I'LL GO EASY ON YOU JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT HAS CHANGED!

Roy continued to smirk as Edward fumed. Winry and Riza then started giggling from his natural outburst.

Edward – Hey! Don't laugh!

Roy – Are you sure you haven't actually become a devil, Edward? It would suit you much more.

Edward – Shut up!

Winry then walked over beside Edward and sat down next to him.

Winry – But there's one thing I still don't get… Why didn't you let Mami-san keep her memories like the rest of us?

Edward – To be honest, that wasn't actually my doing. The reason she remembers less than you guys… is because she wished to forget.

Winry, Roy, and Riza looked a little startled.

Edward – You can tell, can't you Winry? Even now, her memories are gradually changing.

Winry looked down to where Mami was and watched the yellow haired girl continue on her way to school, laughing happily with her friends.

Winry – Mami-san… had her own reasons for falling into despair. She had such a gentle, yet fragile heart. I guess it makes sense that she would want to throw away those painful memories… so she can simply enjoy her second chance at living a normal life.

Winry continued to look down at Mami a bit sadly, as well did Roy.

Edward – Choosing to forget may lead you down a less painful path, but it will also prevent you from being able to move forward. There's no point to lessons that don't bring with them pain. People can't gain anything without sacrificing something, after all.

Winry, Roy, and Riza looked at Edward as he continued to talk.

Edward – But once you've successfully endured that pain, you gain a heart that is stout enough not to be overcome by anything. Isn't that right?

Winry, Roy, and Riza all smiled as they looked at Edward.

Edward – Though this place will eventually seem perfectly natural to her… Perhaps, someday she'll remember all that happened in the past. When that does happen, we can hope her heart will be strong enough to overcome the pain that will come with those memories.

Everyone stayed silent as they continued to watch Mami walk to school with her friends. Winry then looked up at the sky.

Winry – But, if you're now rebelling against equivalent exchange, then how is the universe going to maintain order?

Edward – It's a new principle I thought of.

Winry, Roy, and Riza looked at Edward confusedly.

Edward – You see, by taking ten, and giving ten, it all ends up the same. But if you take ten, put something of yourself on top of it, and return eleven, then there will be one left over.

Riza – I see. Then, perhaps this whole time you've been fighting you've only been giving back the ten you were given from the start. But now, you've finally found the extra digit you needed in order to give eleven…

Roy – And this world is the result of the one left over.

Edward smiled.

Edward – I guess that's one way looking at it.

* * *

Edward then looked over at Winry, as if there was something he wanted to say. Riza appeared to notice Edward's anxiety, so she then took ahold of Roy's arm and began to drag him away.

Roy – H-hey! What are you doing, Riza?

Riza – Edward-kun has something he has to tell Winry. We're in the way at this position.

Winry looked back at Riza with shock and confusion but Edward looked much more embarrassed.

Edward – What?! What are you talking about, Hawkeye?! H-hey! Don't just-

Riza and Roy were out of sight before Edward could finish. He and Winry were silent for a moment before she turned to face him again with a curious and serious expression. Edward then sharply turned his head back to Winry and his faced looked very tense.

Winry – Well?

Edward – Wh-what?

Winry – What is it you need to tell me?

Edward still looked tense, but then he stared at Winry with determined but slightly nervous eyes.

Edward – Winry…

Winry – What? Come out and say it.

Edward's face grew even more nervous and his cheeks turned bright red.

Edward – I know I'm rebelling against equivalent exchange…

Edward then pointed his finger straight at Winry.

Edward – But…! For now I'll just apply it one last time!

Winry looked a little confused but she continued to listen.

Edward – I'll give you half of my life, if you give me half of yours!

Edward continued to stare nervously but determinedly at Winry as he continued to blush. She appeared shocked at first, but then she hung down her head hopelessly.

Winry – Aw… geez, why are you always like this? What's the point of rebelling against equivalent exchange if you're still going to use it for something else? Then the principle is all nonsense, isn't it?

Edward then looked at Winry with an irritated glance, but his face remained red.

Edward – What did you say?!

Winry – You really are hopeless. Never mind half, I'll give you all of it.

Edward then stared at Winry in slight surprise, with a little blush still showing on his cheeks. Winry continued to stare at him determinedly, but then she finally seemed to understand what he really meant, so her cheeks began to turn bright red as well and her face filled with embarrassment.

Winry – Ah, er, okay, not _all_ of it!

Winry looked down at her hands and began to count on her fingers, with her face still filled with nervousness and blush still forming on her cheeks.

Winry – 90 percent- no, 80 percent. 70… no, that won't work. Okay, 85. Yeah! I'd be willing to give you that much.

Edward then burst out into laughter and Winry looked back up at him with an embarrassed and slightly irritated expression.

Winry – Wh-what?! Ed!

Edward – Sorry, sorry!

Edward continued to laugh, which just made Winry feel even more embarrassed.

Winry – Ed!

Edward – You really are amazing! You turn equivalent exchange on its ear even for this!

Winry then pouted a little.

Winry – Are you making fun of me?

Edward – No, I'm not.

Edward leaned towards Winry and put his hand on her head, causing her face to blush even more.

Edward – Like always, you've cheered me up.

Winry's eyes widened slightly, then Edward pulled her into a kiss, shocking her for a moment before she relaxed and returned the kiss right back. The two then pulled apart and continued to smile at each other, both of their faces still a little red.

Roy – Well, it's about time.

Edward and Winry then froze in complete shock. They both slowly turned their heads around to see both Roy and Riza smiling while watching the two of them around the corner. Edward and Winry's faces turned even redder than before out of complete embarrassment.

Edward – WH-WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE DOING?! HOW LONG WERE YOU WATCHING?!

Roy – Long enough.

Winry – R-RIZA-SAN! YOU TOO?! YOU TRAITOR!

Riza – Forgive me, but as your metaphorical older sister, I can't just sit back and let this slide without observation, Winry.

Edward – WHY YOU! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU BOTH! STARTING WITH YOU, MUSTANG!

Edward then jumped up in complete rage and started charging at Roy, who didn't hesitate to start running for his life. Riza moved out of the way and watched Edward chase after Roy, then she turned her head a little to see Winry walk up to her. The younger girl's face was still completely red and she was glancing down at the ground with her bangs covering her eyes.

Winry – I'm at least glad you and Mustang-san were the only ones who saw us.

Riza – It would indeed be embarrassing to have strangers watching during your first kiss.

Winry – That's true too. But actually, I was thinking about Dad more than random people.

Riza – Your father? Why?

Winry – Because if it had been him watching us, he would have taken a picture and then run off showing it to other people, bragging about his little girl finally having her first kiss, or something like that.

Riza giggled.

Riza – I see. Thank goodness then.

Winry – Yeah…

Winry looked down at the ground with a small smile. Riza then looked down at her and noticed that her eyes were starting to well up with tears.

Riza – What's wrong?

Winry looked up at Riza surprisingly and realized her eyes were watery. She then quickly wiped away her incoming tears and tried to give a happier smile to Riza.

Winry – Huh? What's happening to me? I was just thinking about when I first saw Mom and Dad again this morning and now I'm getting weepy. Weird right?

Riza – That's right. They don't realize it… but you haven't directly faced them in a long time, have you?

Winry then looked back down at the ground, but she continued to smile.

Winry – You're right. To be honest, I didn't know if what Ed did was the right thing at first. But even so…

Winry looked back up once again.

Winry – I didn't realize how happy it would make me to be able to talk to and live together with Mom and Dad again.

Riza smiled again.

Riza – Whether it was right or wrong, nothing can be done to change what has happened. But, I can certainly say that you seem content with Edward-kun's decision.

Winry – I guess so. Nothing can be done about it now, so we might as well make the best of it.

Winry smiled much more happily. She and Riza then began to walk to where Edward and Roy were, back down the path leading to the school.

* * *

The bell for homeroom rang and all the kids in the classroom were seated at their desks, paying close attention to Izumi, who was off on another one of her rants again, although this time she appeared to be in a much better mood. Edward was shown sitting at a desk right beside the window instead of at the desk next to Nakazawa.

Izumi – That being said… when in a butcher's shop it's extremely important to handle knifes with absolute care. So boys–You'd better not go off and start fooling around with kitchen hardware as if they were toys! If I happen to catch you doing so, pray that your reflexes are good enough unless you want to know how it feels to have your heads impaled!

Everyone in class shuddered in fright as Izumi looked at all of them with a very fierce and scary glare. But then her face softened and she looked like she was in lovey-dovey land.

Izumi – But really… Sig is not only good with knives and meat he also knows exactly the right thing to say to a woman. And he's not picky about a woman's habits either, which makes him even sweeter.

The entire class felt uncomfortable as they looked at Izumi, going off into her own little world.

Winry – (Well, it's at least good that she's happy, right?)

Edward – (I suppose, but I'm pretty sure the entire class is going to vomit if Sensei doesn't stop rambling on about her new boyfriend soon.)

Winry – (Come on, Ed. It's sweet that Izumi-sensei's finally found someone who won't dump her for the same reasons all her other ex-boyfriends have.)

Winry then looked back at Izumi and her face turned a bit purple, as if she was about to throw up.

Winry – (But, I think I see what you mean…)

Izumi's expression then returned to normal and she returned to her usual self.

Izumi – With that out of the way, let's welcome our new transfer student. Elric, you can come in now.

All the students in the classroom gasped in shock and surprise once they heard Izumi say the name "Elric". May almost jumped out of her seat herself.

May – Wait! Did she say, Elric?!

Edward and Winry were the only ones who were calm and they both smiled genuinely once they saw that it was Alphonse who was walking into the classroom. Many of the students were still surprised that he had the same last name as Edward, who was already known very well by the rest of the class. Some of the girls were saying that Alphonse looked cute and other students were commenting about how short he was, even shorter than Edward. Alphonse however, didn't react to the short comments and he continued to walk calmly and shyly to the front of the classroom. Once there, he stood up straight and smiled, trying to appear friendly, although he still looked a little nervous.

Alphonse – Um… It's nice to meet you. My name is Alphonse Elric. An old teacher of mine offered me a special chance to study abroad, so I spent the last three years in America with a friend of my Mother's. I finally came back to East City last week, so I'll be your new classmate starting today. Again… It's a pleasure to meet all of you!

Alphonse bowed down to the class and everyone clapped for him. One student then raised her hand for him.

Random Girl – Um, you said, "Elric". Then are you by any chance related to Edward Elric-kun?

Edward then stood up from his seat.

Edward – Yep! He's my younger brother, right Al?

All the other kids in the classroom gasped in shock. Alphonse then smiled at Edward.

Alphonse – Yeah, Nii-san!

Izumi – All right, settle down. You'll all get a chance to talk during free period.

* * *

Once the break came, a bunch of girls and boys from the class crowded around Alphonse to ask him questions.

Random Girl – Hey, Elric-san… What was it like, going to school in America?

Another Random Girl – You must be fluent in English, right?

Alphonse – Actually, yeah. I learned a lot of it while I was there.

Same Random Girl – That's so cool! I'm so jealous!

Random Boy – But man, I'm surprised you're even shorter than Elric.

Another Random Boy – I know, right? You look like a grade-schooler.

Alphonse looked a little offended at that last comment.

Alphonse – Hey! I'm not that immature!

Edward was then shown stomping towards Alphonse's desk, scowling mainly at the two boys talking to Alphonse, with a horrifying death glare.

Edward – HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!

The two boys shuddered in fright and backed away, not wanting to anger Edward any further.

Random Boy – N-nothing! W-we weren't calling you little or anything.

Another Random Boy – Y-yeah! And we didn't mean any harm either!

Edward continued to glare at his two classmates.

Edward – YOU BETTER PRAY THAT YOU DIDN'T, CAUSE I'M GONNA BE LISTENING REAL GOOD IN CASE ANY MORE SHORT REMARKS ABOUT ME OR MY BROTHER COME OUT OF YOUR MOUTHS!

The two boys continued to back away until they ran straight out of the classroom in terror. Winry then walked up behind Edward, who turned his gaze to the remaining students who were surrounding Alphonse.

Edward – And as for the rest of you… you'll tire Al out if you all keep bombarding him with questions. You should give him some space.

Winry – Sorry everyone, but Ed and I haven't seen Al in a long time. Do you think you could leave us alone for a while so we can catch up?

Random Girl – Oh… Um, okay.

The remaining girls and boys surrounding Alphonse left, allowing Edward and Winry to walk closer to his desk.

Edward – I tell you, everyone in this school is just crazy. They get way too excited about transfer students.

Alphonse – Come on Nii-san, you know they're just trying to be friendly.

Winry – Well, it's true that they do get a bit carried away. Knowing Al, he's going to have a lot of new admirers.

Alphonse blushed a little out of embarrassment.

Edward – The kids at this school are such a pain… Especially the girls.

Winry then hit Edward's head hard with her wrench and she also looked a little angry.

Winry – Well, sorry all of us girls are so annoying!

Edward looked back at Winry with an irritated glare while still holding his head.

Edward – Damn it! That hurt you Crazy Gearhead!

Winry – Then I guess you should stop making me hit you!

Alphonse – You did deserve it that time, Nii-san.

Edward – Don't side with her!

Winry then sighed.

Winry – I honestly don't know how Trisha-san deals with you-

Winry then gasped, realizing what she said.

Winry – I'm, sorry! I didn't mean-

Edward – No, it's okay. Mom and Dad won't be living apart from each other anymore anyway.

Winry then looked startled.

Winry – What? You mean… They're finally…?

Alphonse – Yeah! They're getting back together!

Tears of happiness then started welling up in Winry's eyes and she smiled brightly.

Winry – Thank goodness!

Winry then leaned forward and hugged both Edward and Alphonse, who were both startled at first but then smiled as they accepted her embrace. Winry then pulled away but continued to smile at her friends as tears began to spill from her eyes.

Winry – I'm so glad.

Edward and Alphonse nodded. Winry then dried her eyes and looked at them proudly.

Winry – Actually, I have some news as well.

Alphonse – What is it?

Winry giggled a little and grinned.

Winry – You see, in a few months now, I'm going to know how Riza-san feels whenever she is looking out for me.

Edward and Alphonse looked confused for a moment before they widened their eyes with shock and realization.

Edward – Wai-wait a minute! D-don't tell me…?!

Winry beamed even more happily.

Winry – That's right! Mom is pregnant! I'm going to become an older sister!

Alphonse – No way! That's incredible, Winry!

Winry – I know right! Dad's been so excited he's been talking non-stop about when the baby's going to come. Not that I can blame him because I'm excited too!

Edward leaned toward Alphonse to whisper to him.

Edward – Even though they're not related by blood, Winry relates to Hughes much more than even she realizes.

Alphonse – Like father like daughter, they say.

While Edward and Alphonse were whispering to each other, Winry continued to ramble on about the baby.

Winry – Oh yeah! I almost forgot that I brought some pictures of the baby in Mom's tummy. I'm going to go get them right now!

Without giving another glance to Edward or Alphonse, Winry quickly hustled out of the classroom.

Edward – Crazy Gearhead… I seriously can't deal with girls when they get like that.

Alphonse – Deny it all you want Nii-san… I know you still love her.

Edward's face turned bright red and he instantly turned to Alphonse with an irritated and embarrassed expression.

Edward – Hey! Now wait a min-

Edward then calmed down and turned away from Alphonse, but his face was still bright red and his bangs were covering his eyes.

Edward – Whatever…

Alphonse looked up at his older brother and grinned. Edward then looked up at the clock.

Edward – We've still got some time. What do you say, Al?

Edward turned back to Alphonse and smiled.

Edward – Want me to show you around the school… You know, for old times sake?

Alphonse smiled back at Edward and nodded.

* * *

The two brothers began walking down the school halls together. Edward was leading up front with Alphonse following behind. As they passed through the hallways, Alphonse received many stares from all of the students from the other classes. Just like their classmates, many of the students were saying that he looked cute but they were also a little surprised that he was even shorter than Edward. Like usual, Alphonse had to hold back his brother to keep him from attacking the people that compared their heights.

Alphonse – Seriously, Nii-san… Do you always have to react like that even when they're only talking about my height?

Edward – Like heck I'm going to let them get away with comparing my stature to yours! It's not any different than calling me an undersized horseshoe crab that everyone just passes off as a regular rock sitting on the beach because it's too small for them to tell the difference, to my face!

Alphonse – Nii-san, no one ever said that…

Edward – But they were implying it!

Alphonse sighed as he and Edward turned the corner down the hall that led to the glass bridge hallway.

Alphonse – I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with you. If you really want to grow any taller then stop being so picky and just drink your milk.

Edward – No way! You know I hate milk, Al! And drinking that excreted cow juice doesn't really make you grow any taller!

Alphonse – You really never change, Nii-san.

Alphonse then smiled.

Alphonse – But, I'm kind of glad that you don't. It would be too weird if you did.

Edward smiled back at Alphonse and then gestured to all the school hallways.

Edward – So, what do you think, Al? How does it feel to be back after so long?

Alphonse – It's exactly the same way I remember it. Everything's so familiar and nostalgic. But it's also kind of different somehow. It's a strange feeling.

Edward – That's no surprise. It's been three years, after all. Besides, it's probably just because of my influence that everything feels so weird right now.

Alphonse looked down at the ground unsurely as he and Edward made their way towards the glass bridge hallway. Edward looked back at his little brother worriedly, knowing that whenever he was this quiet, Alphonse definitely had something on his mind.

Alphonse – No… I don't think it's because of you, Nii-san. In fact, it's more like nothing has changed. The truth is, it feels like the only thing that's changed… is me.

Alphonse stopped walking once he and Edward were in the middle of the glass bridge hallway and he looked outside the window. His eyes began to sparkle and glow as they changed to their golden/orange color. Edward then stopped walking as well and turned around towards Alphonse with a concerned and slightly shocked expression.

Alphonse – After all… I'm not the same person I used to be back then. I still have a different form. A different role.

Waves of magic suddenly began emerging from Alphonse and spreading throughout the glass bridge hallway. Reality around him and Edward then disappeared, changing into the universe. Edward's shocked eyes continued to widen and his expression began to turn to one of fear. His eyes then quickly sparkled and changed to their golden/silver color, much like how Alphonse's eyes did.

Alphonse – I just feel that… Did I make the right choice? Or did I…?

Alphonse suddenly snapped back into the real world once he felt Edward embrace him tightly. His eyes changed back to their regular golden color, though they were still glowing a little and reality around the two brothers began to reform, changing halfway back into the glass bridge hallway.

Alphonse – Huh? Nii-san?! Wh-what's wrong?

Edward's grip was tight, he was panting, and his shoulders were shaking a little.

Edward – Sorry.

Alphonse – Huh?

Edward – Sorry about this. I guess I panicked.

Alphonse then widened his eyes in realization.

Alphonse – Nii-san… Did I almost…? I'm sorry.

Edward – No, it's fine. But, you don't need to worry. You are exactly what you always have been, Al. Whether it's a god or a human, the one thing that will never change is that you'll always be my precious little brother.

Alphonse's eyes widened and his eyes stopped glowing. The rest of the universe finally disappeared, changing reality completely back to normal. Alphonse then turned around to face Edward, who pulled away but kept his hands on his little brother's shoulders. Edward then looked straight at him with a serious expression.

Edward – But, if that's how you really feel… Then I need to know…

Alphonse didn't say anything, but he continued to gaze at Edward, waiting for his question.

Edward – Al. You treasure this world right? Then, do you consider stability and order more important than desire?

Alphonse looked at Edward a bit surprisingly.

Alphonse – What? Well… Of course I treasure it. And I do think it's bad to break the rules because you feel like it.

Edward looked down for a minute, but then Alphonse's face turned even more serious.

Alphonse – But even so… I don't believe that it's right to throw away all our desires even if the rules say we must. If there's something we truly want to fight for and achieve… then I would break those rules and reorder them. Just like I did during my contract, right?

Edward looked at Alphonse surprisingly.

Alphonse – And I know you would do the same thing, Nii-san. In fact, you already have, haven't you?

Edward then smiled and let go of Alphonse's shoulders.

Edward – Yeah, you're right. But, in order to stabilize the balance in this universe… there still had to be prices for the new laws I constructed.

Alphonse – I know… How much time do we have in this world?

Edward looked out the window.

Edward – After all the demons have been destroyed, the incubators will have fulfilled their new purpose.

Edward reached behind his back and took out Whiskers. Alphonse looked a little surprised once he saw the stuffed toy kitten.

Edward – When that time comes, all of us will have to leave this world and continue our unending battle for all eternity.

Alphonse – That will still take many years.

Edward – I know, but I don't care.

Alphonse looked a little startled and Edward grinned.

Edward – Just like you, Al… This world is extremely precious to me as well. And though we will have to return someday, even then, I will continue to wish for a world in which you will be happy. But even more for one where I'll always be right there beside you.

Alphonse was silent for a moment before he smiled.

Alphonse – Yeah, me too. I want to live in this world happily with all the people we love and cherish. But most of all, I too want to live in our precious world, together with you, Nii-san.

Edward smiled even more genuinely, then he took out Alphonse's hands and put Whiskers into them, however he didn't let go of the stuffed animal cat, which surprised Alphonse again. Edward gestured to Whiskers before he looked back up at his little brother.

Edward – You were right… Whiskers really is a toy meant to be shared rather than kept to oneself after all.

Alphonse looked down at Whiskers being held in his and Edward's hands for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization and he looked back up at his older brother, who was still smiling genuinely. Alphonse then beamed with a big and happy smile on his face.

Alphonse – Yeah!

* * *

It was sunset, and the evening orange light had enveloped all of East City. Winry's origami crane and wrench dog familiars were shown flying and running around the park, where Winry and Riza were talking with Maes and Gracia. Riza had her hand on Gracia's tummy to feel the baby inside, and Gracia had a smile on her face as she let Riza feel her baby. Maes had a bunch of pictures in his hands and he tried to race over to Riza in order to show her them, but Winry made sure to keep him away from her. As Gracia pulled an unhappy Maes away to give him another lecture, Winry and Riza happily smiled at each other.

Mami's waitress familiars were then shown dancing around while holding trays of tea and sweets outside of a large grocery store. Inside the store, Mami was trying to reach a can of tea that was displayed on a high shelf that she couldn't reach. Roy was then shown taking the can down from the shelf and handing it to Mami, who gladly thanked him for his help. Recognizing Roy as one of her schoolteachers, she quickly bowed to properly greet him, but he waved his hand to say that she didn't need to do so. The two then proceeded to talk as they walked around the supermarket together, smiling happily as they spoke to one another.

Gertrud's cotton ball familiars were then shown passing cut roses to each other in a field of flowers, with Edward's children doll familiars watching over them. Then, Alphonse's house was shown, and he, Edward, Trisha, and Hohenhiem were all inside, unpacking moving boxes since Edward and Hohenhiem had just moved back in. Trisha then slipped and almost fell, but Hohenhiem quickly caught her; the two looked at each other for a while before smiling warmly and happily at each other. Edward and Alphonse were smiling proudly and happily at their reunited parents, until Edward hooked his right arm around Alphonse's shoulder and the two brothers smiled more happily at each other than they had in a long time.

The sun continued to shine its beautiful orange light upon East City until it began to disappear into the horizon. A stonewall carving of Alphonse's god form and Edward's guardian form standing back to back while holding each other's hands was then shone, replacing the original stonewall carving of Alphonse's god form alone.

* * *

It was night and the full moon was out, shining all over East City, which shone even brighter since all the lights in every single building was still on. On top of the large hill beside East City, an old man with long grey hair tied into a ponytail was shown sitting on a white chair, gazing down at the entire city. The old man had a photograph in his lap, and the picture inside showed an adult Edward grinning while holding a very young golden haired boy, and he was standing next to an adult Winry smiling happily while holding a baby blond haired girl. An adult Alphonse and May were standing behind Edward and Winry, smiling happily while Alphonse had his right arm on May's left shoulder. A much older Roy and Riza were also standing next to each other in the picture, smiling genuinely as well. After hearing a rustle in the grass, the old man stood up and sharply turned around, revealing that he was none other than Edward. Kyubey's silhouette was then shown standing up from a patch of grass. Seeing the incubator, Edward reached to his waist and unstrapped his Infinity Glass, hanging from his belt much like how Soul Timers did. He then walked over to Kyubey while holding his Infinity Glass outwards and the golden hourglass floated into the air and began to fly around the incubator. Once the Infinity Glass landed back in Edward's hand, he glanced down at the incubator, who was now lying on the ground shivering. His fur was completely ruffled and messed up, and his eyes seemed to swirl with dark impurities seeming to represent curses. Without giving any other consolation to the incubator, Edward turned around and walked to the edge of the cliff. He held up his Infinity Glass and smiled as the very few twinkles of light in the top half of the orb dropped to the bottom half of the orb, which contained a million more twinkles.

Edward – It's time. We've fulfilled the promise.

Another old man then walked up beside Edward and took his hand. The other old man also had long grey hair put up in a ponytail, but unlike Edward, he didn't have any side bangs. He then turned his head to face Edward, revealing himself to be Alphonse. Edward turned his head around to face his younger brother as well. The two brothers smiled at each other and then once again looked out to the horizon.

Alphonse – Now, let's get going.

Edward and Alphonse stepped forward and fell off the edge of the cliff, continuing to hold hands. As they continued to fall, the area around them turned completely white and the two brothers began to glow and turn back to their fourteen and fifteen year-old ages. Edward and Alphonse's hair returned to their original golden color and shrunk back to their original lengths; Alphonse's hair was once again short and Edward's hair, though it was still long, grew shorter and was once again put into a braid. Their clothes also changed into the same white clothes the two of them wore all those years ago when Alphonse first reformed the universe.

The two finally landed gently onto the ground of the white area surrounding them. Edward and Alphonse then looked over to their right and saw Winry, Roy, and Riza, standing a few feet away while looking and smiling at the two of them.

Winry – It took you two long enough!

Edward and Alphonse smiled at their friends, then they looked back at each other.

Edward – Are you ready, Al?

Alphonse – More than I'll ever be, Nii-san.

Edward and Alphonse continued to smile and then they started running towards their friends, never letting go of each other's hand, knowing that whatever lay ahead of them from there, they will always be by each other's side. Nothing would ever separate them ever again.

The stone gate was then shown once again, but this time it had a long white ribbon tied around it, sealing it shut.

 **The End**

* * *

 **Well, there you have it. That was "Fullmetal Magi Alphonse Magica The Rebellion Story." I hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **I'm sure you all will have a bunch of questions, so I'll try to clear a few things up. While in the original anime, Homura stole Madoka's human self from The Law of The Cycle, and imprisoned her god form, or so we all believe. But in this case, The Law of the Cycle is not imprisoned, it is only sleeping, kind of like how an animal hibernates during the winter. You see, Edward only released Alphonse's human self from his god self instead of directly stealing it. But like in the original anime, all the others who were connected to the Law of The Cycle like Winry and Mami were all brought back to the real world as well. Also, Edward purposely allowed Winry, Roy, and Riza to remember because they deserved to know what had happened as they were the closest to him and Alphonse; Mami however subconsciously chose to forget because of her seminal instability, but she may remember one day. Alphonse also remembered everything that happened and he is fine with it, though he almost lost himself and began to reawaken before it was time, so Edward put a stop to it before he was too late, which Alphonse was grateful for as well. Like Homura did, Edward gave everyone back their normal lives and the incubators were sentenced to clean up all the remaining curses that had manifested into demons. So, everyone will be able to live their lives as ordinary humans, but when their time to pass away truly comes, they will all have to return to the universe, which is when The Law of The Cycle will awaken and Edward and Alphonse will both continue to fight curses that will naturally manifest in their world. But even so, it doesn't matter to them because they will always be together even then.**

 **As you can see, I put in how they returned to the universe when their time had run out, but they got to live long happy lives; Winry and Edward got married and had the same two kids they had in the Brotherhood series.(Remember the picture at the end of the series with all of them when they were grown up? It's that same picture except for Roy and Riza are in it this time.) May and Alphonse got together as well, and though the picture does show Roy and Riza together, much like the original series I'm leaving it up to interpretation of whether or not they are officially a couple(But I love the thought if they are.)**

 **I hope you like all the twists I put in this chapter. Do you like how I included Madoka and the others? I thought it would be clever and sweet to give Mami all her old friends back. I also hope you liked how I put Elicia(Hughes original daughter, not Winry's witch form) into the story right then; Winry chose the name Elicia for her when she was born. I also hope you were satisfied with how I finally got Winry and Ed together, I wanted to add elements from the original anime so it would seem like their moment, so I hope you all liked that.**

 **If you have any more questions or comments, just review. This is my last update on this story, but don't worry. I'll come up with more idea for other stories about other shows and anime as well.**

 **So until my next project, thank you all so much for all your support, and goodbye!**


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